Mewtwo's Story
by brycep40
Summary: Fifteen years have passed since Mewtwo was last heard of. His crimes were legendary, and his name was feared above all others. Now, he has re-awakened in the hidden gem of Ether Valley; the problem is, he doesn't even remember his own tale. Can he pick up the pieces in time to go head-to-head with an organization intent on nothing but domination? (original plot & characters)
1. The Beast Has Awoken

It was a cold, clear morning.

The hills of Kanto never looked more beautiful in the season of autumn.

The Pidgeys were flying, and there were bountiful amounts of Magikarp and Goldeens in the sea.

It was a peaceful time in the Ether Valley.

But the brook running through the valley was becoming disturbed.

What?

It seems like something large is stirring...

Something ALIVE!

In the split of a second an enormous being with a tall, burly figure arose from the brook, causing the valley to shake. What was this creature?! The villagers of Ether Valley panicked.

Everybody looked to the wizened sage of the valley for an explanation. This sage knew every tale and legend of Kanto.

It was the legendary Mewtwo! Many had heard the legend, but why now was this great being appearing?

Mewtwo was now fully visible as he continued to rise in the air. He was encased in a large sphere of energy that glowed a bright purple. His arms were risen to form a T with his body, his feet pointed at the ground. But his eyes remained shut. Though his head was level, Mewtwo seemed to be unconscious. He and the energy sphere slowly lowered to the bank of the river.

As Mewtwo continued to approach the river bank, the sphere of energy began to flicker. It flickered more, more, and more. Then it broke. Mewtwo collapsed, still unconscious, on the grass. The bewildered villagers rushed forward.

What were the people going to do?! Should they take him in and save him? What if he was dangerous? The sage moved forward to check if he was all right. "He will be okay and wake up soon," he said with relief. The villagers were very confused.

"Are you sure?" asked one of the spectators. "Nobody just collapses like that and is all right." Some of them nodded in agreement, eyes of concern on Mewtwo's unconscious form.

The sage frowned and said "If my verdict does not satisfy the masses, then I can call upon my Alakazam for an examination. He will be able to tell you."

The crowd murmured among each other until they reached the resolution to call Alakazam. The sage summoned Alakazam from a majestic Pokéball. He moved forward toward Mewtwo.

"Tell us everything you can, Alakazam," the sage said. Alakazam nodded and began his examination. From all angles, Alakazam checked Mewtwo's state, even bringing his nose to within an inch of Mewtwo's body. He murmured in strange tongues, thinking aloud to himself.

When the examination was complete, Alakazam turned to the sage and nodded. Then as if the sage could understand everything Alakazam said with his eyes, the sage spoke. "Mewtwo is simply energy deficient and will awaken when he absorbs more energy from the earth. Come now, we will bring him inside."

The small crowd was bewildered by the exchange, but trust in the sage erased much of the doubt in their minds. Two medics from the Ether Valley Pokémon Center dashed off to fetch a stretcher. The two returned shortly with the stretcher, gently lifted Mewtwo onto it, and made their way to the Center.

The sage turned to the nervous crowd and said "I believe that is all that you fine people can do. Thank you for bringing this to my attention." The finally reassured onlookers dispersed back to their houses.

Mewtwo lay on the stretcher feeling as weak as a Caterpie. "Where am I going?" Mewtwo wondered wearily. He was too weak to move or glance at who was carrying him. He tried to move, but simply fell back into a peaceful sleep.

The medics arrived at the Pokémon Center bearing their odd cargo, drawing curious looks from those in the lobby. They approached the reception counter where the forerunner of the two spoke directly to Nurse Joy.

"Patient priority level 1. Get him into an ICU as quickly as possible. No need for a procedure, but regular healing isn't going to work. We need him in stable condition."

Nurse Joy moved quickly calling for more staff. "I need data samples of his blood work and condition now! We need to keep him under control." Nurse Joy was surprised gazing down on Mewtwo. He was the most unusual patient she has ever dealt with. She wanted as much information as possible.

They wheeled the stretcher down the sweeping hallways of the Center with Joy in the team's wake. While the mass seemed like a cluster of confusion, everyone knew their role, even if they didn't know the patient's condition. They all entered the ICU and went to work.

Mewtwo was diligently moved to a proper bed to rest on while materials were collected. Blood samples were drawn and taken to analysis while Mewtwo's condition was quickly stabilized.

Meanwhile, the sage traveled to the village library to think. He knew Mewtwo would be fine, but the question was what to do with him or what he would do to them. Now that Mewtwo was among them, the question was determining the next step. The sage began reading different books that may provide an answer.

Though the books did not provide a definitive answer, the sage drew a general map of Mewtwo's physical, mental, and emotional characteristics. He knew that Mewtwo had been subjected to serious upheaval in his past. He also knew that Mewtwo was the strongest Pokémon ever created and was therefore very dangerous. But his future was what could be most easily affected. He concluded that Mewtwo was to be treated as a human being; not as a Pokémon.

With a resolution in mind, the sage decided it was best to listen to Mewtwo the moment he awakened, and find out what he desires. The sage began to head for the hospital. He prepared a mental summary of the past few years, in case Mewtwo would be in a dazzled state of confusion. _It must feel very intimidating to be asleep one decade and wake up in another_, the sage thought.

Back at the Pokémon Center, Mewtwo was stabilized by the staff and left to rest peacefully. The blood tests were still being analyzed but anticipated to come back with results shortly.

The sage entered the Center and approached Joy who had just returned to the front desk.

"Hello! Welcome to our Pokémon Center! How may I assist you?" Joy noticed the lack of Pokéballs on the sage's belt and had a feeling that what he wanted wasn't going to be normal.

"I'm here to see a patient that's been recently acquired by the Center. I believe that I can help with his current condition, even though it's not medically based."

Nurse Joy gave the sage a strange look, but decided to comply with his request. She led the sage into the room where Mewtwo was being held in stable condition. "Just be careful," Nurse Joy spoke softly, "We don't know too much yet." The sage nodded and waited for Nurse Joy to leave the room.

The sage drew up a spare chair to sit next to Mewtwo. He noticed that Mewtwo was hooked up to many devices, including a heart rate monitor, an IV, and oxygen on standby. The sage knew that Mewtwo was likely to awaken extremely confused, so he thought of a way to prevent Mewtwo from possibly reacting violently.

Mewtwo awoke slowly and gazed around. He spotted the sage looking down on him. Confused, Mewtwo spoke softly, "Who are you and what are you doing? Why am I here?"

"My name is Alder. I am the sage of Ether Valley, and I believe that you may need to stay here for a little bit while I explain what's happened."

"Ether Valley?" whispered Mewtwo. "Why am I in Ether Valley?" He tried to sit up but immediately felt blackness close his vision, forcing him to slump back to his former position.

Alder opened his mouth to speak but stopped. He realized that Mewtwo's energy deficiency could have triggered a loss of memory.

Alder decided to start from the basics before he made any mistakes. After all, any mistakes made dealing with Mewtwo could be costly. "What do you remember before you were unconscious?" he asked.

Mewtwo dizzily tried to think. "I was fighting… I believe. But I don't remember who or what. Then I was asleep."

Alder's brow furrowed as he continued to watch Mewtwo. What happened that forced Mewtwo to go unconscious like he did in the middle of a battle?

"And you don't recall anything after the battle?" Alder asked.

"Nothing."

Alder leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply. This was going to be much more difficult than he anticipated, not helped at all by amnesia. Mewtwo remained laid back with his eyes closed, evidently trying to prevent from going unconscious again. Alder allowed his gaze to travel over Mewtwo's form.

Barely had he let this happen did he notice something that he hadn't back at the banks of the river where Mewtwo first lay unconscious. There was a long, thin line of discoloration that traveled from the left side of his torso to his out-of-sight back. It looked much like some sort of scratch mark that hadn't healed properly; like a scar.

Frowning, Alder leaned forward to get a closer look, but Mewtwo's arm was obstructing the rest of the mark.

"Mewtwo, can you lift your left arm up?" Alder asked quietly.

"Be my guest." Mewtwo said weakly, obliging and removing his arm to across his chest instead.

Alder immediately saw the full effect of the mark. It was instead a collection of three scars, each mark spread apart a few inches and traveling in the same direction. He recognized this as a slash mark made by a Pokémon's claws, but couldn't identify the Pokémon that made them. The marks looked very deep.

Alder gasped, which hardly went unnoticed by Mewtwo.

"What is it?" the latter breathed.

"These scars… they—you were bleeding—but—" Alder stammered, trying to stem the flow of information that just hit him.

"Alder, what are you going on about?" Mewtwo said wearily, trying to look at what Alder couldn't look away from. But again, blackness pressed his vision, forcing him to close his eyes and return to his former position.

"Mewtwo, you must have been attacked from the back. There's no other explanation. Otherwise you could have conjured resistance to the attack. You were bleeding from these slash marks when you engaged in fighting. I think your body shut down mid-fight to avoid bleeding out, encased you in a ball of energy, and deposited you in the river that flows in the Ether Valley. The sudden shut-down must have caused you to forget much of what happened leading up to and during the battle."

Mewtwo took a minute to absorb the information he had just heard. He did not enjoy being in the dark about his decisions. He wanted to know why he went to battle, and with whom. Mewtwo reached towards the scars on his back to touch them, but flinched. "In a few days, once I'm in better condition, I will need to do some research. I will need you to provide me with a few essentials."

Alder again leaned back in his chair. Clearly, Mewtwo had to know what happened, but neither was aware as to what had happened. Considering that the fight likely took place more than ten years ago and was fought without anybody's knowing about it, to trace this story would require quite a bit of work.

Both sat lost in thought, but were greeted by the return of Nurse Joy and the results of the blood samples drawn earlier.

Nurse Joy began to speak, "These samples are the most unique I've seen. Definitely a Pokémon, but the type of blood is ancient and almost human-like. Almost... genetically engineered. But the most important thing is that you seem to be in a stable condition and may leave within a few days of rest." Nurse Joy then proceeded to leave the room, giving Alder and Mewtwo more time to talk.

Mewtwo's eyes narrowed as they followed Joy out of the room. "Genetically engineered?" he said with a trace of disdain in his voice. He turned his gaze to Alder instead. "What does she mean by that? Am I not... not..."

"Mewtwo, you must understand something. You've been unearthed from over a decade of rest after barely surviving an encounter that even I can't tell you about. Please, just keep calm. There's plenty of time that we have to go over everything that's happened." Alder took a pause and questioned how much more he should say. There was so much more to the issue at hand, but the day's events prevented him from pressing the subject further.

Mewtwo was astonished, suspicious, confused, and most of all exhausted. Everything was just too much to think about. He didn't even know anything about this one called Alder. Why should he work with this village? But then he thought harder; who was his enemy? This village definitely seemed suspicious, but he was sure his body would have remembered an evil feeling even if his mind hadn't. As he was thinking, he noticed Alder staring at him, almost with a sorrowful look.

Alder broke the silence first.

"Please, Mewtwo, get some sleep. I know that today has been extremely confusing for us and the village. But please don't let that stand in the way. I've lived here for many years, and I can safely say that nobody wishes to harm you. Know that you have a clean slate with these people, and they to you. I care about your well-being along with the Pokémon Center's staff and the villagers."

Mewtwo's exhaustion was getting to him, so he complied willingly. As Mewtwo began to fall asleep, he mumbled something inaudible. Alder quietly made his way out of the room. The first step was complete; he now needed to speak with the villagers in order to avoid any misunderstandings.

Alder asked for permission to hold a town meeting from the mayor. In light of the recent events, the mayor authorized immediately and put out Alder's wish to all residents of the village.

Within thirty minutes the small community had gathered in the Ether Valley Fire Hall. Some were eager to hear what Alder had to say, some were nervous, still others were downright scared. But when Alder stepped up to speak, the hubbub died away very quickly. Alder garnered a great amount of respect from the villagers.

Alder mustered the correct words to explain the scenario they were in. "Everyone," he began, "I know that since Mewtwo has arrived, all of you have been feeling nervous, scared, confused, or even intimidated. But I can assure you all that you are not the only ones to be feeling this way. Mewtwo has been asleep for ages. Waking up so suddenly is an enormous shock to him as well. It is of the utmost importance to show Mewtwo we are willing to help him, not destroy him.

"I know that you fine people are all compassionate towards Pokémon and always care for their well-being," Alder stated, glancing at those that had brought their Pokémon along and to the Pokémon themselves. Officer Jenny and her Arcanine both nodded in unison to Alder's words.

"However, Mewtwo is, in some ways, _not_ to be treated as a Pokémon." Alder said. "He is very much capable of actions that would be deemed heinous against humanity and Pokémon alike. He is only capable of these actions if he is not treated with the kindness and respect that he deserves, as do you and I. Mewtwo is currently unaware that we are meeting about his future. Therefore, I ask each and every one of you to recall the Golden Rule; to treat others the way you wish to be treated. I believe that, with your help, Mewtwo can become the most important being to aid humanity."

The crowd shifted and nodded with agreement. Alder continued, "Our village has been given the opportunity to make Mewtwo a wonderful part of humanity. We have heard the stories of corrupt thieves and beings abusing Mewtwo's powers, but we will not represent humanity to Mewtwo in this way. We will show him the good in humans, and in turn he will show us his potential. Now, aside from displaying kindness, you all must keep open ears. Listen for the legends and myths that have spread to possibly discover who Mewtwo was actually fighting. We must understand his situation in full to help him."

"That is all for now. I will provide updates as I receive them. I do hope that we can assist Mewtwo in uncovering his mysterious past. Thank you for your attention." Alder stepped away as applause broke out amongst the crowd. The old sage smiled, confident that he had the village of Ether Valley behind him in his endeavors.

A few days passed, and Mewtwo was finally in condition to leave the hospital. Alder had previously visited Mewtwo again and offered to show him around, but he declined. Mewtwo wanted to see and feel the village for himself. He wanted to make judgments without any outside influence for the time being. Mewtwo remembered an old human custom, and gave thanks to Nurse Joy for his treatment before taking his first step out of the hospital.

The mid-morning sunshine warmed his face as Mewtwo smiled, breathing in the fresh mountain air. Like he wished, he wanted to explore the village and experience everything for himself.

As he walked down the High Street to the square, he expected to at least draw curious glances from pedestrians. On the contrary, none came his way. Those that did pass him smiled with a casual "Good morning" or a wave to accompany. This surprised him. He was being treated... normally!

Mewtwo was feeling extremely pleased. Whether it was the illustrious weather or the mood of the town, much of Mewtwo's negativity was beginning to fall behind him. _This is all very... interesting,_ he thought. He wove his way through the town and made it in front of the library. "I'll be able to do some research here," he whispered.

And so he entered the library, where the noise of the town died away the moment he closed the front doors. He proceeded towards the receptionist's desk. The librarian looked up, closed the book she was reading, smiled, and said "Hello. Welcome to the Ether Public Library. How can I help you?" In a half-glance, she saw the scars that marked Mewtwo's side. Being amongst those that attended Alder's discussion a few days previously, she refrained from the topic.

"Hi," Mewtwo started, "can you direct me to the Pokémon section? I'm trying to find information on the Pokédex and possibly about trainers and gym leaders of the Kanto region."

The librarian smiled, "If you turn left over there, you'll find section P101. That should be of help to your topic." Mewtwo nodded and made his way over to the Pokémon section. He watched the people and their tranquility in reading. He had yet to ever experience such warm presences while he was ever around. As he began to be absorbed into the peaceful environment, he snapped back into reality. "Research," He mumbled. Mewtwo continued forward.

Being quite a bit taller than an average human, he could easily look at the books on the highest shelf. He browsed the rows of books, where titles jumped out at him:_ Electric Pokémon and Their Powers_; _Rock Solid Training_; and _Birds: A History of the Flying Type_ were some of the titles that he saw.

Mewtwo crouched to examine the lower shelves and spotted a handsomely bound book. The title proclaimed _The Kanto Pokédex_.

He immediately removed the book from the shelf and carried it in his right hand. He quickly spotted another book in his excitement; _Trainers and Gym Leaders of Kanto: A Study_. He removed this book from the shelf as well and carried both to an empty table.

He began carefully reading each book. He knew the answers would lie in these books. His mind was fuzzy, but he could still remember his situation was largely affected by Kanto. Someone... someone important in Kanto was up to something. Mewtwo tried to recall in his memory as he read anything he could. As he read, someone sat down next to him casually and interrupted his reading.

"Hi," the stranger said, somewhat breathlessly. "Do you mind if I join you? I saw that you were reading some books on Pokémon. I'm doing the same thing, and I thought that we might be able to help each other out if we need it."

Mewtwo took in the stranger's appearance. He wore round spectacles and a red and white knit beanie on his head, under which shown brown hair. His hair was flipped up slightly as it escaped the beanie, suggesting that he wore this hat quite often. He had a white shirt with the University of Cerulean logo printed on the front; a large Blastoise holding a letter C in front of its body. His jeans were a little rumpled and worn but retained an appearance that they were well cared for, as did his hat. The moccasins he was wearing had deep creases, showing that he was one that preferred to walk. He looked like a college student in his early twenties.

Slightly taken aback, Mewtwo said, "Umm... yeah. Go right ahead."

He smiled and began to open the books he had grabbed from the shelves. "I'm Allen; it's a pleasure to meet you." Mewtwo took another minute to look at the boy.

"They call me Mewtwo," Mewtwo responded slowly.

Allen spotted the page Mewtwo was on and pointed, "Ahh, Viridian City! There's a gym there, but the gym leader never really shows himself much. Oh, what was his name?" Allen thought for a moment.

Mewtwo looked back at the page he was on, and tried to shake some of the frostiness from his voice.

"The gym leader of Viridian..." Mewtwo responded, attempting to find it. But even when he searched the entire topic, he could not find the name of the gym leader.

"Huh!" Mewtwo exclaimed, "This book doesn't seem to have his name." He continued scanning the page, even when he knew it would not yield the answer he was looking for. "Sorry Allen, but I don't know."

Allen shrugged. "Ah well, maybe some time we can take a trip to see for ourselves. That's my goal; to travel all across Kanto. But of course I need to know what I'm getting into before I run off. Why are you researching Kanto? I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

Mewtwo's heart beat uncomfortably at Allen's words. He hadn't planned on revealing his research to anyone yet, and now didn't feel like the best time to do so. But Allen didn't seem to have malicious intent, merely trying to make friendly conversation.

Mewtwo decided to tell him at least part of his plan; he sensed that Allen would likely become his friend, where he could tell Allen more of the story at a later date.

"I'm researching the trainers and gym leaders of Kanto." Mewtwo said as he lifted the book for Allen to see the cover. "I was curious about their history, and wanted to learn more."

"Sounds fun," Allen responded. Allen began to scan the books once more before speaking again. "You know, the world is so big and beautiful, it's a shame that some people never get to see all of it. You try so hard to make people see, but sometimes it's fruitless." Mewtwo noticed that Allen seemed to be having a recollection of some sort, a sad memory. Mewtwo felt obligated to say something, but Allen shook himself out of his state. "Oh sorry, I was just rambling on about nothing. Anyway, there's a beautiful light festival happening right here in Ether Valley in a couple of days, it may be worth your while to come and watch. There are quite the beautiful Pokémon that come out as well." Allen smiled.

"A light festival?" Mewtwo asked with great interest. "That sounds like a lot of fun. When is it?"

Allen pulled a small planner out of his backpack and looked up the date. "It's the twenty-sixth of October, on a Saturday. So it's one week from today. The show starts at nine. No entry fee either." Allen looked up at Mewtwo with a grin. "Want to go together? I bet it'll be a lot of fun."

How could he say no? The idea sounded great from the beginning.

"Certainly!" Mewtwo said with enthusiasm. "I would love to go to the show."

"Sweet! Hey, can I have your phone number? I'd like to keep in touch with you." Allen paused, an eager look on his face.

"Err…" Mewtwo hesitated. "Well, I—I don't have a cell phone," he finished lamely.

Allen started to laugh without restraint. "A bit in the dark ages are we?" Allen teased with a smirk. "Why don't we go get you one? Not right this moment, but maybe tomorrow? We can meet up again here. Don't worry; I'll bring you back to this century soon."

Mewtwo was taken aback by the sarcasm. He knew this was a form of communication, but he was never so experienced with it. Mewtwo took a minute before deciding to snicker at the sarcastic remark. "Okay, tomorrow then. I'll be here again a bit past noon."

Allen smiled. "Then I guess I'll see you then! I need to head back right about now."

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Allen." Mewtwo said sincerely. "I look forward to tomorrow."

Mewtwo picked up his books in his right hand and, knowing the proper gesture, extended his left hand to shake Allen's.

Allen took Mewtwo's hand in his own. But as he casually glanced at Mewtwo's hand, he noticed the slash marks uncovered by the extending of Mewtwo's arm. However much he wanted to ask about the scars, he refrained, deciding that this wasn't something Mewtwo was too keen on discussing.

Allen exited the study. Mewtwo stood there, his left arm swinging slowly like a pendulum. He couldn't believe that he had just made a friend. Easy as that!

Recalling Allen's words about seeing the world, he decided to take a walk in the mountains surrounding the valley after exploring the village. He thought that it would do him some good to get some fresh air and open space.

After replacing his books and exiting the library, Mewtwo decided to take a travel down the main road to see the surroundings. The atmosphere was a pleasant ball of sunshine; People chattering in front of cafes, children playing alongside local Pokémon, and the smell of fresh pastries and berries coming from the bakeries. He gazed upon all the sites with an intrigued look.

Where should he go first? The square? One of the cafes? Or maybe the bakery? The scent coming from the bakery drew him more effectively than just the sight, so he made his way towards the entrance, opened the door, and stepped inside.

Once inside, the aroma of all the sweets immediately hit his sense of smell. Mewtwo constantly ended up in new locations, so food always seemed so interesting. He made his way to the front counter and took a closer look at the delights. "What's the most recommended here?" Mewtwo asked casually.

"Ahh!" The cashier said excitedly. "There's a lovely blueberry Danish that customers rave about all the time. Would you like one of those?"

"Yes," Mewtwo started. Halfway through speaking, he recalled the word "please", and the fact that many people appreciated being addressed with this word. "Please," Mewtwo added, successfully achieving a sentence with no break in flow.

The cashier grinned. "Coming right up!" he said enthusiastically. Mewtwo watched as the cashier grabbed a fresh Danish from the bakery's oven. It was soft, fluffy and looked tasty. The cashier put the Danish in a bag, handing it to Mewtwo. "You are new to town, right?" the cashier began, "Then take this Danish on the house! As a welcoming gift, you know."

Mewtwo was surprised, but he smiled and said those words again, "Thank you." Mewtwo opened the bag and took a bite out of the Danish.

Now he understood why the customers raved about it. It was an explosion of deliciousness.

"Mmm!" he exclaimed. "This is wonderful!"

The cashier chuckled at Mewtwo's reaction. "I told you it was good, eh? Thanks for stopping by, sir."

Once Mewtwo was finished with the Danish, he continued on his exploration of the village. He decided that the Village Square might be the next best place; it was highly populated and full of events. There would be lots to observe! Mewtwo continued strolling along the road until he reached the Square.

A decorative fountain sat right in the middle of the square. The fountain was beautiful, elegantly carved to attract and flash sunlight as it gently trickled water. Surrounding the fountain were scores of people, moving this way and that. He saw some middle-aged women walking together, up for a day's shopping. There were two old gentlemen sitting outside the nearby café, squaring off in an intense match of chess. Some rowdy men were eating an early lunch outside the deli, laughing and arguing about the latest Pokémon battle tactics. The busyness of the square gave Mewtwo a surge of energy.

Mewtwo took a second to really take in what he was seeing. It was an interesting spectacle. Mewtwo thought for a minute what he should do, when his eyes passed over a flyer on the village bulletin. He walked toward the bulletin to read the various advertisements and news. He was surprised to see that there was the flyer about the light festival. The flyer beautifully portrayed a painting of the soon to be seen lights and a joyous mood. Mewtwo thought of Allen for a short second, but the business of the village made it difficult to think clearly.

He kept reading the flyers posted on the bulletin. The advertisements portrayed discounts, mainly on Pokémon trainer's gear. Sales for other stores were posted, but none as much as the ones for the gear.

Mewtwo withdrew from the board and kept on walking. A steeple dominated the western skyline of the town, attracting Mewtwo's gaze. What was it like in a church? Mewtwo wished to find out.

Down one street, up another alley, the church growing larger all the time. He soon approached the large street that the church was situated on, walked up to the front doors, and opened them.

An ancient sensation filled Mewtwo's body. The church must have been decades old, as the wooden pews were dulled in color and the spectrum of colors on the stained glass windows were faded. The church seemed like an antique; worn down but very valuable. The aged church did not seem any less beautiful in its current state. The air was silent, as villagers sat to speak to their God. There were faces in remorse, gratitude, peace, and faces in which their mood could not be told.

He paced slowly around the pews many times, taking in the atmosphere. The stillness of the air was a nice change to the hustle and bustle of the square. But as his hearing adjusted to the quiet, he soon became quite aware of his own body. He could hear his heart beating steadily, feel it thumping slightly with the rhythm. His breaths made his chest rise and fall slowly with each inhale and exhale. The footfalls on the old wood made small creaks as it took his weight. The palms of his hands began to perspire slightly.

He had to sit down.

Mewtwo took a seat in the very back of the church. He had not been paying much attention to himself; he was exhausted. He needed a few minutes to recollect himself. He was always going from place to place, but he hardly ever took this much time for real, genuine exploration. His head still felt a pang every now and then. It was a bit distressing to him that he could not recall everything from the past.

Sitting in the pew with only himself for company, he picked up his tail and began to play with it, twisting it this way and that and winding it around his hands. Mewtwo stared at the ground, his eyes unseeing and his mind buzzing. Before the awakening, what did he live for? What does he live for in the present? What _will_ he live for? Does he stand a chance in this modern world, with no past to build on? As these questions reeled through his head, the world felt like it was falling sharply away, too fast for him to grasp and hold onto and left without a fighting chance. He felt hopeless.

Tears began to well up in Mewtwo's eyes, but he made no effort to wipe them away. They trickled down his nose and fell to the floor with an inaudible _drip, drip, drip_. His face grew hot, his limbs filled with a strange tingling. Chest constricted and a hard lump in his throat, he began to draw breath in sharp sniffs. Tears kept falling thick and fast down his face as Mewtwo closed his eyes.

Slumped over, head buried in his hands, Mewtwo cried.

The Earth began to shake under him. Mewtwo fully lost control of himself. The overflow of emotions was too much for him. He wept in sorrow and despair, forgetting his surroundings. Screaming could be heard in the distance, but were they village screams or Mewtwo's head screaming? He couldn't tell. Mewtwo felt himself falling deeper and deeper into an abyss, lost in a sea of darkness. 'There is nothing,' he thought. Mewtwo was almost unreachable, until he heard a voice. It was the old sage, Alder. Alder gazed down at Mewtwo with immense sorrow, but soon turned austere. "Mewtwo, you have only just risen. It is not yet time for your fall. Regain yourself; your questions can and will be answered. Do not give up so easily."

Mewtwo jerked his head up quickly, only to find that he was still sitting in the same pew. The villagers continued to pray or else converse quietly between one another. They noticed nothing.

Mewtwo leaned back in his seat, trying to regain his composure. It must have only been his imagination (and it felt unnaturally realistic). But the moment was not to be brushed aside. Alder was right; he couldn't afford to go to pieces yet.

He took a tissue from a box next to him and dried his eyes. Emotions, he realized, are very strong, and should be kept under control. But emotions couldn't be disregarded or ignored either. He had to take control and use them properly, or risk a lot worse than stern words.

Mewtwo gazed into Alder's eyes with understanding before rising from the pew. No words needed to be said. Slowly, Mewtwo left the church. The tranquil, silent air of the church was quickly replaced once again by the bustling crowds in the street. Mewtwo scanned the area once more, checking to see if he missed anything of interest. Further away from the village and situated in a position of overwatch, the cold mountain peaks caught his eye.


	2. Memory Lane

Now that Mewtwo saw all that the village had to offer, it was time to take a hike in the mountains. He took one of the well-traveled trails that started on the outskirts of the town and wound its way up the mountain. With no further delay, Mewtwo set off.

Ahh, it was bliss. With only nature to observe on this trail, Mewtwo soon felt very content with his heart as light as a feather. He stepped enthusiastically through the wending trees, the leaves colored all shades of autumn; sunshine yellow, flaming red, coffee brown. The afternoon sunshine that filtered through the leaves of the trees created ripples of shadow on the ground, flashing with sunlight as the treetops wove back and forth with the breeze. The scent of wood and grass caused Mewtwo to breathe slowly and deeply, savoring these moments of pure beauty.

He continued to walk on the trail, stirring up the fallen leaves on the ground. The wild Pokémon of nature continued to make appearances amongst the treetops. Pidgeys were twittering, flying high above. Spearows were gliding and hopping about, cawing loudly. It was music to his ears.

After traveling for some time, Mewtwo approached a clearing. On his left was a steep drop off of the mountain where trees did not obscure his view. Looking out this way, he saw the entire village of Ether Valley nestled snugly between the two mountains. He traced the river that cut through the town, flowing from up in the mountains themselves to exiting the south edge of town and out of sight. Positioned about three hundred feet or so up, Mewtwo could still easily distinguish the different buildings on the landscape. The church's high, high steeple wasn't very tall at this vantage point. He spotted the library, the town square, and even the old sage's cottage among the collection of buildings. Reflections from the sun made the town glitter and sparkle as he moved his head this way and that. What a sight to see.

The sun kept him warm as he looked down upon the valley. This was easily the most wonderful moment in Mewtwo's opinion. Nothing could ruin the time that he was spending here with just himself and nature.

How very wrong he was.

Mewtwo stood there for only a minute longer when several things happened in a blindingly quick succession.

An excruciating pain, starting from his back and traveling to his left side with lightning speed, made him gasp and buckle in agony. His back arched, trying to avoid the searing pain as he fell to his knees. His eyes were jammed shut because of the intensity and sharpness of what just happened. Mewtwo had only enough time to register that this pain was occurring exactly where his scars were located before he fell, left side leading, into the grass.

But instead of colliding with the ground, Mewtwo continued to fall sideways. He opened his eyes to discover that he was cartwheeling through total blackness while falling and gathering speed, all at the same time. The howl of sound was almost unbearable to hear. Faster and faster Mewtwo fell. He closed his eyes again, wishing it would stop. And then—

He slammed into the ground so hard that the wind was completely knocked out of him. He rolled onto his front, eyes shut tight, struggling to regain his breath for several seconds. His heart raced at a thousand miles per hour and ached as it beat. But strangely enough, even as Mewtwo still lay there gasping for air, he wasn't injured from the massive contact with the ground. This struck him as extremely odd. Why did the contact not hurt him, considering the tremendous force with which he landed?

It took a few deep breaths to steady himself and let his heart rate slowly decline. While he lay there, he allowed his senses to explore the situation. The clearest observation was that he was lying on grass again; the smell of it was strong in his nostrils while his face was resting against the ground. He also heard the sounds of trees and their leaves rustling in the breeze. His backside was growing hot. Through his eyelids, a dull, dark color of red persisted. The sun was shining high in the sky.

Now that he had calmed down, Mewtwo also realized that his scars were not hurting. The series of events that just occurred made absolutely no sense to him. But if he wanted to find out what happened, laying here wasn't going to solve anything.

Mewtwo rolled to his left side and opened his eyes.

He was lying on a grass path that sloped upwards away from his gaze, guided by trees on either side. And unless he was very much mistaken, these trees seemed awfully familiar…

Mewtwo quickly looked up at the tree canopy, expecting to see the colors that he had observed on his hike. Instead, the leaves were a uniform green, brightened by the sun that filtered through. It was summertime.

Mewtwo shakily raised himself to a sitting position. He rested his head against his forearms, staring at the grass. Wild thoughts ran through his mind, each more ridiculous than the last. What did he do? Why had this happened? _How_ did this happen? His head was pounding from the gravity of the situation.

Something caught the corner of Mewtwo's eye as it appeared over the hilltop to his right. He turned his head to get a better look.

What he saw made him cry out in shock.

It was himself.

Mewtwo tried not to panic. If this other Mewtwo saw him, he was going to be in serious trouble. As he rose to a half-standing pose, unsure of what to do, the other Mewtwo continued to approach. Closer and closer he drew. But strangely, his counterpart didn't seem to notice that he was in plain sight. In fact, he walked right by without a glance.

Now Mewtwo was utterly flabbergasted. He scrambled to his feet, and fell in step next to himself.

He decided to try and attract this other Mewtwo's attention. He held up a hand, hesitated, and then waved it in right in front of Mewtwo's face. He didn't stop, look around, or indeed react at all.

Mewtwo withdrew his hand, thinking hard. He doubted that the other Mewtwo would ignore seeing himself; Mewtwo knew that if _he_ had seen himself, he would have been scared out of his wits.

It felt like he was a phantom to this period in time; like he didn't belong.

He studied Mewtwo's face as they both continued to walk up the trail. His eyes were slightly narrowed and he also wore a small frown. These features gave the impression that he was permanently irritated or something like it. Mewtwo raised his hands to feel his face and was relieved to find that neither of these features was present on his own.

The other Mewtwo trudged relentlessly through the forest, following the path that Mewtwo himself had walked only a short time before. He didn't seem to be taking in the beauty of the forest or observing the natural world at all. Words that were spoken to him earlier that day drifted through Mewtwo's thoughts.

"_The world is so big and beautiful; it's a shame that some people never get to see all of it. You try so hard to make people see, but sometimes it's just fruitless."_

Mewtwo looked at his other self's side, expecting to see the scars that marked him, but gasped. The scars weren't there. It was clean and unblemished.

This had to have been his past self; there was no other way. But if this was him in the past, why did he look so unhappy? Why was he not bothering to take in the beauty of nature? What was this Past Mewtwo going to do? Mewtwo had to have been taken here for a reason, or he wouldn't have gone through this ordeal.

The two crested a hill and were greeted with an absence of trees on their left side. The other Mewtwo glanced towards the gap (he happened to look through Mewtwo at this time) and redirected his course to take him closer to the edge of the drop-off.

If Mewtwo were solid, he would have been knocked over by the sudden change in course. Instead the other Mewtwo just walked right through him. Mewtwo stopped, momentarily bewildered, before he approached the other, who had taken up post near the drop-off.

And he was looking down upon the village of Ether Valley all over again.

But the landscape looked different. The village was smaller and less populated. He definitely recognized plots of land that held no buildings. The church still rose above all of the buildings in the village, looking even more prominent with the lack of structures.

He heard Mewtwo make a small noise of dissent through his nose. He turned in time to hear Mewtwo grumble, "Filth". His gaze upon the village told of intense dislike while his folded arms displayed the same idea.

Mewtwo quickly took a step to the side as his eyes widened in shock. Did he just call these villagers "filth"?! How rude!

He quickly looked back at the village. All was quiet and peaceful, and he had no reason to believe otherwise.

What was wrong with his old self? How did he get to be such an unappreciative being? These questions confused Mewtwo more thoroughly than anything to this point, and he wanted them answered.

He looked back at his past self with disgust. He was glad that he left behind much of his old attitude in the present, glad that he could appreciate much more of what his old self couldn't.

But Mewtwo still didn't understand what he was brought here to witness. What was so important in his past, other than to witness a bad temper?

His question was soon answered.

Glancing down at his past self's feet, he noticed something very peculiar. If he was recalling correctly, the Past Mewtwo was standing precisely where he himself was before the fall into this time and place. How strange…

How very strange…

Wait—

And with an enormous thrill of foreboding, Mewtwo knew what was coming the second before it happened.

As if in slow motion, a flash of claws came flying from behind him, straight at the Past Mewtwo. The claws came down, right to left, and dug deep into Mewtwo's side with tremendous speed.

Mewtwo's blood flew from the wounds, splashing on the grass and several feet up a nearby tree. His scream rent the calm air as he fell in nearly the same fashion; back arched and coming to his knees before falling on his left side. The blood poured from his side to collect in a pool on the ground. It was so gruesome that Mewtwo couldn't look away.

Mewtwo didn't notice who had attacked because they had withdrew so quickly. But footsteps could be heard approaching from behind, so he turned away from the Past Mewtwo attempting to staunch the flow of blood and looked to see who had joined.

It was instead more than one that had joined. One was a tall man dressed in a suit and tie, his closely cut dark hair accentuating the crazed grin on his face. The others were Pokémon that accompanied him. There was a Persian that paced back and forth in front of the man, and a Sandslash was backtracking slowly, his right claw stained red with Mewtwo's blood. All of them were looking on with great interest upon the scene.

The Past Mewtwo was doubled over on his knees, his right hand clamped over his wounds. The blood continued to pour forth without restraint. He tried to straighten up, but only achieved half of what he wanted. One knee remained on the ground as he turned to the party that approached. He had to place his left hand on the ground to prevent from falling over again. More blood ran down to stain his left side and his leg. He lifted his head, and, upon catching sight of the party, twisted his face into one of rage and agony.

"It's you…"

The man approached slowly, coming to within thirty feet of the Past Mewtwo. The real Mewtwo watched on in bewilderment and moved to the other side of the group, the better to see. The Pokémon retreated behind the man, watching the Mewtwo on the ground.

"It's me," the man said, the grin still on his face. "Now, I have some unfinished business with you."

"We never had any business," Mewtwo said weakly. His teeth were bared in extreme agony, though no more sounds of pain escaped Mewtwo's mouth. His hand was still grasped on the wound while his side shone red with blood.

"I believe we do," the man said with malice. "I've spent a great deal of time tracking your whereabouts, and it will not go in vain." As he spoke this, he reached into his jacket and removed a small ball. The ball was white and purple, emblazoned with a tiny letter _M_ on the front. Mewtwo didn't recognize this object, though he did register that it looked like an oddly-colored Pokéball. But the Past Mewtwo's eyes were immediately drawn to this ball. They momentarily widened in fear before narrowing again in intense dislike.

"It's not going to happen," Mewtwo said, his voice continuing to fade. The wound refused to stop bleeding and his words seemed to cost him increasing effort.

"I'll make sure it will happen, Mewtwo," the man said as he fiddled with the ball in his right hand. "You've eluded me for far too long. This will end today. I will end this, or my name is not Giovanni!" The crazed grin lit his face once again.

And suddenly, all of the sound in the world died. The trees stopped rustling, the breeze forgot to whisper, and the birds were no longer tweeting.

Mewtwo's head bowed as his strength drained. But with what seemed to be every ounce of effort it cost, he whispered to the man named Giovanni.

"You… will… _never_... capture… me…"

He raised his right hand away from his wound and in the direction of Giovanni's party, palm forward. A ball of purple energy grew rapidly in his hand and flew into the ground between him and Giovanni.

There was a colossal explosion. The real Mewtwo was unaffected as he watched on, but the others were not so lucky. Past Mewtwo was blasted over the ridge a great distance and into the direction of the village. Giovanni and his party were lifted off the ground and thrown away from the blast site. A cloud of dust erupted immediately and obscured most of the scene. But through a clear patch in the dust, Mewtwo saw the apparently lifeless Mewtwo plummet towards Earth. He was falling toward the river that ran through the village. Before he had fallen into the river, a sphere of purple energy had encased his body while he decelerated. Gently, Mewtwo was lowered below the surface of the river and out of sight.

The real Mewtwo began to run toward Giovanni's party, but stopped. The scene around him began to dissolve. The colors of nature melted as Mewtwo felt the floor disappear. He felt like he was slowly rising into the air. Before he ascended completely from the scene, he heard the strong voice of Giovanni echo around him.

"This won't be the last you see of me; mark my words!"

And thus, Mewtwo ascended into darkness.

In a quick flash, Mewtwo returned to reality. He lay on the soft grass, surrounded by trees bursting with colors. His head began to pound heavily with his newfound memories.

Pain... there was excruciating pain felt throughout Mewtwo's body. Not just physical pain from the scars, but a mental sensation from the trauma of remembering.

_I must hurry back,_ Mewtwo thought, _there won't be much time_. Mewtwo tried to regain as much composure as possible, and trudged down towards the village.

The villagers and Pokémon he passed were simply blurs; Mewtwo needed to find a particular abode. Someone to help him think and resolve these issues in a wise manner. Mewtwo took a minute to breathe as he stopped in front of a cottage. The sign in front of the cottage read "Alder: The Wise Sage."

He walked up the garden path through Alder's lawn and approached the door. Attached to the door was a shining brass knocker in the shape of a Pidgeot. Mewtwo took hold of the handle and knocked three times, each knock reverberating loudly off of the wood. He stood to wait.

The pain in his head was rapidly building and soon reached a pitch. He put his forearm against the doorframe and rested his head against it, struggling not to faint again. A sick feeling was growing in the pit of his stomach. He was taking deep breaths as his face grew uncomfortably hot. He hoped Alder would answer soon.

Alder arose from his seat, gradually stepping towards the door. He was choosing his words carefully before answering the door, as he knew what was to come. He smiled at Mewtwo, recognizing his face was filled with agony.

"Mewtwo, please come and take a seat. You seem pained; allow me to grab you some medicinal herbs I keep around here to heal you."

Mewtwo could not refuse his offer, and took a seat. Mewtwo also needed to choose his words carefully. As Alder grabbed the precise herbs to create a similar substance to a painkiller, Mewtwo fell deep into thought. Horrors of those Pokémon and that man began to flash before him, and he jolted. Alder noticed this, and moved quicker to get to Mewtwo's side. He placed the herbs in a cup of tea, and handed the cup to Mewtwo.

"Thank you," Mewtwo said quickly. He was feeling sick in the stomach and kept his words to a minimum at the moment. He raised the cup to his mouth and took a sip of the tea.

The effect was instantaneous. The pounding in his head receded slightly along with the sickness in his stomach. He took a larger swig and noticed a marginal improvement.

"Whoa," was Mewtwo's immediate reaction. He set the cup down and turned to Alder. "What did you put in here?"

Alder smiled, "It's a mix of tea leaves, essence of Capsaicin, and chili powder. The leaves of the Capsaicin herb are a natural pain reliever while the chili powder boosts the effectiveness. The tea leaves masks the bitterness of the Capsaicin and the heat of the chili powder, therefore making it quite an effective remedy for moderate to severe pain. If you continue drinking, the pain will continue to recede, and will effectively disappear by finishing the drink." He nodded to the cup in front of Mewtwo.

Mewtwo picked up the tea again and resumed drinking. The head pounding receded while his stomach felt better as he drained the cup.

After a few minutes, both Mewtwo and Alder seemed ready to discuss the true matter at hand. Mewtwo began,

"I remembered such horrible things. And I know you can provide me with some answers. Fifteen years ago; there was something that happened fifteen years ago. There was something that made that man go after me. There was something that made me hate him and humanity. What was it?"

Alder took a slow breath. "Fifteen years ago, huh? Fifteen years ago, peace was sparse among the lands. Today, you look around and can see the happiness in the townsfolk. However, back then, true peace was far from within reach. Villagers would live out their days, some smiling, but the corrupt atmosphere of the current world was far too noticeable for anyone to truly be calm. People lived in fear that all their rights would one day be stripped from them, and their lives would be compromised for refusing malicious orders. A criminal organization lay at the heart of this corruption, constantly holding the regime and gaining whatever they desired. No one could stop them; this organization had acquired too much power. With such power, the organization and the mastermind behind it were able to move in the shadows, completing tasks that remained an enigma to the public. Some say they were planning on taking over the world. Despair scattered about the entire land, for people began to lose hope in a real, spoils-free world. Humans began to look at one another with a cruder look, questioning the validity of their fellow man. Anxiety plagued everyone's heart about whether everything around them was truly corrupted or not. At night, some Pokémon would cry out a song in hopes for a solution to be brought to save the corrupted world. For months on end this terrible cycle continued, until one day, it simply stopped."

"It stopped?" Mewtwo repeated. "Just like that? But why?"

Alder looked back into Mewtwo's eyes and weighed each of the following words carefully.

"It was believed that a key figure of the organization abandoned the operations for reasons unknown. This happened at a crucial time where the organization was likely to capture the Silph Company. Had they succeeded, the fate of man and Pokémon alike would have been severely compromised."

Mewtwo was aghast at this news, but recovered quickly.

"Who was so important and so influential that they could disrupt such an operation? They would have had to have been known and heard about, right?"

Alder looked away from Mewtwo's gaze and spoke to the table, "The individual that spread so much discord specialized in removing Pokémon from the organization's path to domination. His fighting tactics were unmistakably those of a Pokémon, but nobody ever knew what could achieve such devastation in battle. Rumors were circulating that a new Pokémon was being used for this purpose. The Pokédex number 150 was created, but remained vacant for this unknown Pokémon. Only after the failure of the organization's merge with Silph Company was the information for this Pokémon disclosed, along with a warrant for its arrest."

Mewtwo's eyes widened as he spoke in barely more than a whisper. "And the Pokémon? What was its name?"

Alder turned to look Mewtwo full in the face.

"It was you, Mewtwo. You were the Pokémon they were trying to recapture."

Mewtwo didn't fully register what Alder had just said. It took a minute to penetrate the shock that had filled his body. He tried to speak, but he was temporarily robbed of breath.

"It was _me_?" Mewtwo said weakly, his hand held over his heart. "I caused that whole mess?"

Alder slowly began to nod his head, his eyes filled with sympathy.

"It isn't all your fault; you cannot help how you were created."

Mewtwo's mind swirled and turned. He was unable to fully process and analyze the whole situation, as the shock value was so great. How was he supposed to solve this problem, when it was himself caught straight into this problematic web? Mewtwo was at a loss. Everything seemed blank, with no answer to guide the way.

Alder noticed that Mewtwo's eyes had glazed over and stared unseeing at the opposite wall. He recognized this signature look of vacantness and decided that now was the time for some explaining.

"Mewtwo, look at me."

His head turned slowly to look at Alder. His face wore one of immense guilt and sadness. Pity flowed throughout Alder's body, and he softened his voice considerably.

"Mewtwo, you were created to be the ultimate Pokémon for battle. But you must understand that your creators failed to accommodate for a compassionate heart. That is why the organization used you solely as a battle tool. Both your creators and the organization were wrong to use you like this. It was not your fault that such terrible things happened by your hand."

Mewtwo hung his head, eyes shut. This didn't do much to ease the deadweight of guilt in his stomach.

"Then why don't I have the same brutal nature after 15 years of inactivity? Surely it didn't simply disappear?" Mewtwo raised his head to look back at Alder.

Alder searched for the right words, but his skewed face seemed to show he couldn't place his thoughts.

"To be honest, I do not know myself. Nature can be extremely mysterious in its own ways. But I can assume your compassion still lies in your heart after all these years. You were not born with natural hatred; it was trained into you as a guard dog learns to attack others. Trigger words and actions, I assume, were built into you for battle. But they must not be natural. When you were liberated and rested for those fifteen years, it was your true spirit that surfaced. Your dangerous side is probably still in the shadows of your heart, but it is possible to control it. You are free now; there is no one to force your hand."

It seemed to be hard work, but Mewtwo was able to smile in response to Alder's words. The muscles in his face felt like they were ill-adept to the simple task of smiling; perhaps he just needed some practice.

"Do you really believe I can overcome that? Do you have such faith in me when I was built on such a bad reputation?"

Alder returned with a small smile and said thoughtfully, "Well, have you done anything today that didn't involve rudeness, cruelty, or mass destruction?"

Mewtwo gave Alder a look that shined with hope. As long as there was someone who would be there to help him grow, he could truly believe he wasn't really a monster.

Mewtwo was about to make a reply, when there was a sudden knocking on the door. It was not the casual knock signifying a regular visit, but a knock that reverberated with a sense of urgency.

Alder walked towards the door, and opened it for the visitor. Mewtwo recognized the voice coming from the visitor who entered; it was Allen.

Mewtwo rose uncertainly from his chair, forcibly reminding himself of doing the same thing in his own memory earlier that day. What was Allen doing here?

Allen, standing in the doorframe, addressed Alder and spoke in a rush.

"Alder, there's something awful going on in the village square! There's a gang of rogue Pokémon that showed up and they're wreaking havoc! Other people have tried to help, but the gang is too strong for our Pokémon. We need a lot more power. Can you help?"

Mewtwo removed himself from his chair and hurried forward to the door as Allen finished speaking. His appearance drew Allen's attention.

"Mewtwo! What are you doing here?"

"Long story, Allen. I'll have to tell you later." Mewtwo turned to Alder. "Can't we do something about this?"

Alder turned around to address Mewtwo, "This sounds like a serious situation. I think we can take care of this gang, but no single Pokémon will be able to take on the entire group. We'll have to do a tag team battle." Alder's face split into a grin, "Want to team up with my Alakazam against the rogues?"

Mewtwo was hesitant before answering Alder. He knew time was a major constraint, yet Mewtwo remembered how inexperienced in true battling he was.

"Alder..." Mewtwo started, "I definitely want to help the village, but I've never handled a situation like this where I won't… cause major destruction."

Alder smirked. "My Alakazam is almost as old as I am. We've conquered the highest of mountains, the cruelest of jungles, and some of the fiercest of Pokémon throughout our journey. He'll be able to show you the ropes in how to truly battle. Just follow him, and you'll be fine."

Allen also walked up to Mewtwo and patted him on the shoulder.

"Give yourself some faith," he encouraged.

Mewtwo took a deep breath and nodded. Alder released Alakazam from the Pokéball kept safely in Alder's pocket.

"Let's make our move nice and quickly, for no one shall mess with our village!" Alder announced with determination.

And so the party of four left Alder's cottage to get to the town square.


	3. From Shadow and Vapor

The evening sun was casting a beautiful golden shine on every object in sight. The lengthened shadows added to the splendor of the scene. Mewtwo couldn't believe that it was only evening. Leaving the Pokémon Center just this morning felt like several ages ago.

"We have to get moving, or we'll miss the intercept window," Alder said, jogging along with the group. "Allen, do you have any Pokémon of your own?"

"No, sir," Allen replied. "I've been thinking about trying to acquire some, but college has been getting in the way too much for me to put forth a serious effort."

"Hmm," Alder said thoughtfully, "I think there'll be a way around that. It's always a good idea to have a Pokémon with you, just in case something unexpected comes up."

"If you have time sometime soon, will you please help me with that?" asked Allen.

Alder turned to look at the young man jogging alongside him and grinned, "I think the real question is when _you_ have the time, good sir. I have an abundance of it, but the college life can get a bit overwhelming, right? So tell me when you are available, and we can go from there."

Allen returned the toothy smile with a grin of his own.

"Ahh, thank you so much, Alder! I've been meaning to get this done for quite a while, you know—"

Just then, Mewtwo heard another voice overlap Allen's, causing the latter's to be tuned down slightly. But the new voice didn't seem to come from anywhere around them.

_Mewtwo, can you hear me?_

Mewtwo jumped violently, but his position behind Alder and Allen meant that the involuntary reaction went unnoticed.

The voice wasn't coming from anywhere near them; it was in Mewtwo's own head!

Mewtwo was looking around frantically for the source of this and met Alakazam's gaze. The same voice spoke again.

_You can hear me, yes?_

Mewtwo was utterly flabbergasted. But he did the only thing that seemed sensible, and responded without speaking.

_Yes, I can hear you. But what are you doing? How is this happening?_ He heard these words in his head as though his own voice had been magnified. He instantly knew that he had responded correctly.

_I'm using telepathy! _Mewtwo heard as he saw Alakazam smile benignly. _Most Psychic Pokémon are able to do so, you know._

Mewtwo shot him a quizzical look and responded, _Telepathy? Is that really a thing?_

_Of course it is! Now, I understand that you need a crash course on proper battling techniques, right?_

_Yes, _thought Mewtwo, relief passing through his body as he turned forward again. _Are you able to help me?_

_Certainly! _He heard Alakazam's voice say with excitement. _Are you ready right now?_

_Yes! _Mewtwo responded quickly. _But we don't have much time. What can you tell me?_ The party had just passed a welcoming sign to the village proper, and a commotion could be heard in the direction of the square.

_The most important thing to remember is control. If you are lacking control during a battle, there's a strong chance that collateral damage will be dealt. Nobody wants to see that, I'm sure of it. Because you do not have a trainer, nobody will be giving you instructions as to what or what not to do. Your judgment will be crucial. I can render assistance if you ask for it; I know you've been out of practice for a while._

_Never heard a more truthful statement, my friend, _Mewtwo responded, and Alakazam chuckled at the comment.

_Don't worry, just keep a cool head and we'll be able to defeat these Pokémon with no problem._ Alakazam's voice softened just as Alder's had back at the cottage. _Like young Allen said, have faith in yourself. You'll be just fine._

Mewtwo swiveled around to face Alakazam as he began to trot backwards, _Thank you, Alakazam. I really do appreciate it._

Alakazam smiled as he looked Mewtwo in the eyes. _Anything for a friend, Mewtwo. Anything for a friend._ He nodded to something behind Mewtwo's back. _Step lively now! We're approaching the square!_ Mewtwo turned around again as the party continued to move forward.

_Control,_ Mewtwo thought to himself, _I just need to control myself, focus, and move_. Mewtwo glanced over towards Alakazam, who nodded to him with understanding.

Cries of mishap pierced the ears of the Party as they approached closer and closer to the square. Villagers were scrambling with their Pokémon to the safety of their homes, and any shops were closing up quick. The sounds of destruction began to ring closer, as the party could almost see the culprits. Shadows rushed by surreptitiously and with great speed. They seemed to be enjoying the chaos that was being caused, but sibilated when it was evident their actions were being watched. It was difficult to recognize the Pokémon wreaking such a mess, but once their movements were pinpointed by that of Alakazam, the others were able to clearly see who the culprits were.

As Alakazam identified the rogue Pokémon, they no longer remained as shadows, but gained a true form when he pointed directly at them. The first to be identified was Seviper. It was darting around the square, slamming into walls and leaving deep gouge marks in the pavement with its tail.

Alakazam turned to his left and identified the next Pokémon; a Nidoking. He used his brute strength to completely upend cars parked around the square, adding loud crashes to the din in the area.

Alakazam looked right and pointed again to a third shadow, which gained form at once. The Weezing did laps around the circle at high speed, smashing as many shop windows as he could and sending broken glass everywhere.

Quickly, Alder and Alakazam exchanged glances, and prepared for battle. These Pokémon were obviously ignoring the prescience of the party, and had to be dealt with swiftly. Mewtwo was puzzled by the rogue Pokémons' actions. Why were they doing such a thing? He tried desperately to read into the atmosphere, but the aura in the air just couldn't be placed right. Mewtwo took a side next to Alakazam, waiting for the right time to strike.

Alder spoke up to the attackers,

"What is your purpose in wreaking such havoc? You must stop this nonsense at once! This village has been at peace for many years now. What are you accomplishing?"

Seviper was the first to turn and slither closer towards Alder, Mewtwo, and Alakazam. His movements were circumspect, his eyes glowing with a sensational red pigment. His fangs looked as if they were drenched in blood, and his crooked smile showed malignant intent. Mewtwo's gaze fell directly in sight with Seviper's. The eye contact demonstrated an awry feeling.

Something just wasn't right.

Seviper silently continued staring at Mewtwo, then glancing to gaze at the others. The cold, deadly eyes glided smoothly as they scanned what was presented before them. The background buzzing of Nidoking's and Weezing's mischief seemed humdrum as the glare continued towards them. Then all of a sudden, in the blink of an eye, the tension was broken. Seviper was… laughing. A small giggle at first, but that giggle soon evolved into maniacal laughter. Mewtwo, Alder, and Alakazam exchanged puzzled, suspicious looks. As Seviper continued to laugh, Nidoking and Weezing paced their way to be by Seviper's side. Seviper's manic laughter rang throughout the square as Nidoking and Weezing joined in the laughter. Something was wrong, something was not making sense.

Mewtwo stood there at a loss of what to think. What was going on?

He looked back into Seviper's eyes, those cold, cold eyes that filled him with a chill. They were burning with a scarlet hue that had intensified since Mewtwo first saw them. But the intensity had reached such a point that Seviper's eyes began to _glow_.

"The eyes!" Mewtwo gasped, pointing at the three Pokémon, "Look at the eyes!"

The others looked at where Mewtwo was pointing and gasped in unison. Indeed, Seviper's eyes were actually casting light in the shadows of the evening sun. And even as this happened, the eyes of Nidoking and Weezing also began to glow, giving the three an appearance of being thoroughly demented. The effect was quite scary.

_This is not normal,_ said Alakazam in Mewtwo's head. _No Pokémon's eyes are naturally colored like that._

_Then what does it mean? _asked Mewtwo in response.

_It means that they are being possessed! _said Alakazam in a panicked voice. _They are not thinking for themselves now. Mewtwo, you mustn't do them lasting damage; they are victims of mind control!_

_But who's doing the mind controlling? _asked Mewtwo.

_As to that, I don't know. But the sooner we find out who it is, the better._

Everything seemed to be getting more complicated, but Mewtwo knew he needed to act for himself now. He thought back to a trick he had once learned; a move that would damage any Pokémon, but never completely knock them out. False Swipe was what others referred to the trick as, and Mewtwo remembered just the right way to execute the move.

Mewtwo glanced back to Alakazam with a prepared look, and Alakazam nodded accordingly. Mewtwo faced back towards Seviper, the closest one to him, and darted towards him with great speed.

Left, right, forward, side-step. Mewtwo's speed was unmatched, and Seviper was unable to lock on to Mewtwo's movements. With a split-second slash of Mewtwo's fist, Seviper screeched with immense pain. Seviper snapped back at Mewtwo with his large, poisonous jaw, but Mewtwo dodged swiftly. Mewtwo charged with another attack, which seemed to stop Seviper's movement.

Seviper's agony was showing, and he did not have the energy to attack again. Seviper became extremely weak, and stopped in his tracks to regain strength. Mewtwo took a minute and stared at Seviper. He did it. He was able to handicap Seviper, but not damage him to a fatal blow.

_My first attack in years,_ Mewtwo thought to himself.

_Watch yourself, Mewtwo!_ Alakazam bellowed into his head.

Nidoking and Weezing were charging at Mewtwo with full force. Two at once! Mewtwo needed more time to think, and began to panic.

_Control!_ Mewtwo thought, _Control!_ Mewtwo was about to strike once more when Nidoking and Weezing dropped to the ground instantly, skidding a spectacular distance due to their momentum. Both Pokémon were fast asleep before Mewtwo's feet. Mewtwo looked back towards Alakazam.

_Hypnosis,_ Alakazam answered.

Alakazam proceeded to put the weakened Seviper to sleep, and smiled towards Mewtwo.

"All right you two, that should do it, no need to overdo it. We should be able to move these guys to a safer location without doing more damage, and maybe we will be able to find out what all this chaos was about," Alder exclaimed. He walked towards the sleeping Pokémon, and tied them with a length of cord that he had brought along with him.

Mewtwo sighed with relief. He paced slowly back towards Alakazam and Alder. The battle was relatively quick, but in Mewtwo's mind, everything was moving at a slow pace. Looking back to Alder and Alakazam, Mewtwo realized that years of being dormant took a toll. He needed more battle practice, and more experience in general. Mewtwo was about to speak when his jaw dropped. This entire time he was focusing on the battle and listening to Alakazam, but where was Allen?

"Err… Alder? Where did Allen go?"

Alder, who was busy securing the downed Pokémon, turned his head.

"Hmm?"

"Where's Allen?" Mewtwo repeated.

Alakazam turned this way and that as his eyes widened with fear. Alder was still squatting on the ground, having not moved an inch.

"He's not here? But—but he was standing right behind me for the last five minutes!"

Alakazam began to backtrack the route they had taken to the square, searching everywhere. Meanwhile, Alder was dumbstruck by the news.

"I swear he was right with us!"

But Mewtwo suddenly remembered; he hadn't seen Allen since they entered the square.

"Alder, I don't think Allen has been here since we got here and battled those Pokémon…" Mewtwo said slowly, motioning to the sleeping Pokémon on the ground.

"But why? He wouldn't just skive off like that, he'd at least tell us he was leaving… right?" Alder said uncertainly as he straightened himself.

Alakazam re-joined them as they both heard him communicate.

_He's definitely not here. I just checked where we came from, and I didn't see any sign that he left._

"Oh, dear," said Alder, "What happened to him?"

Alakazam could only shake his head.

_I think he's been kidnapped. But why anybody would do that is beyond me._

Mewtwo hung his head and covered his eyes with his hand. He couldn't believe that he didn't keep track of Allen.

"I can't believe this just happened" Mewtwo said, his voice heavy with guilt.

Just then, a sudden chill swept through the square. It wasn't a chill that he could associate with the wind, but instead felt like something much more sinister. It made him shiver, and, glancing at the other two, saw that they had done the same.

The atmosphere emitted a harsh sensation almost impossible to place. Seviper, Weezing, and Nidoking, although fast asleep, began to twitch slightly. Alakazam noted these movements, and faced Alder and Mewtwo.

Something must be coming.

In an instant, the area surrounding the three became dark. A shadow approached in the distance, coming closer. A round body was outlined with a smirk on its face. Red, despicable eyes pierced through the darkness.

"Those eyes," Mewtwo whispered, "they have the same glare as Seviper, but it does not appear to be a forced look. His mischievous eyes seem absolute."

The darkness, being caused by the figure, spread away from where he was standing, revealing a ghostly form. The smirk that was outlined previously grew bigger, more sinister.

"I am the Great Gengar."

The voice that issued from the figure was deep and rough, which in itself sent chills down Mewtwo's spine. Although he spoke relatively quietly, the three could still hear as though Gengar was standing right next to them. Combined with Gengar's appearance, Mewtwo's heart began to beat faster out of fear.

Alakazam spoke,

_This is the being that kidnapped Allen! We must defeat him if we have any hope of recovering our friend._

"What did you do with Allen?!" Mewtwo shouted across the square a lot more bravely than he felt.

Gengar's vicious smile unfolded with the statement and tone of Mewtwo's question.

"He seemed… interesting. That young man, there is something about him. Some acquaintances and I deemed it necessary to administer a few tests, and he may prove useful."

Mewtwo shot a look of disdain at Gengar. Alakazam began to scan the area, formulating a plan of action. Alakazam, being of Psychic nature, always came across troubles with Ghost Pokémon; it was quite the conundrum to counter one who was the counter to yourself. He spoke again,

_Mewtwo, keep calm. We need to formulate a battle plan to stop Gengar as well as find out Allen's whereabouts. Any ideas?_

Mewtwo took a moment to gather his thoughts.

_We need someone to draw his attention. It'll be much easier to weaken him when he has to keep track of more than one target._

Alakazam nodded and said, _I think I should do the actual distracting. I can go on the defensive while—_

But the thought was interrupted by a whistle from Gengar.

"Yoo-hoo! Hey! Looking for this fellow?"

And from behind Gengar rose a silhouette, its limbs hanging limply as he appeared to be laying down in mid-air. For a second, Mewtwo was completely bewildered. Then it hit him.

It was Allen.

A wave of hatred swelled so rapidly that Mewtwo didn't realize that his hands had balled into fists, his teeth had clenched, and his brow furrowed so that his eyelids formed little more than slits. And, without any forethought to his actions, his heart pumping pure fury throughout his body, Mewtwo charged.

"Mewtwo! Stop! Don't—" Alder began to cry out, but it was too late. Mewtwo's charge rushed with such speed that it could not be stopped.

Gengar grinned and proudly spoke out into the night, "Yes, Mewtwo, let's play for a bit. I've always wanted to have this kind of match with you."

"I'll destroy you..." Mewtwo muttered through gritted teeth. Mewtwo's punches quickly struck at Gengar's face, but Gengar was not to be underestimated. Gengar was one of the fastest ghosts around, and dodged Mewtwo's fists swiftly. Gengar then moved on to fading into darkness, before countering Mewtwo with an intense blow. Contact, however, only made Mewtwo's anger grow. His control faded, leaving an open wound and mindset of the past to surface to the top. A dark, heavy aura poured around Mewtwo as he gathered more strength to take on Gengar.

"That's it—achieve your revenge…" Gengar cooed menacingly.

Alder faced Alakazam.

"We need to stop Mewtwo! He is completely out of control; I understand that we must stop Gengar and save Allen, but not in this way!"

Alakazam shook his head in response.

_Alder, Mewtwo must learn to find control himself. If we stop this battle now, then Mewtwo will never be able to break free from the chains that bind him to the darkness. Believe in him; keep the faith strong as I am now, and things will turn out for the best. _

"Alakazam, I will trust your judgment, but to witness Mewtwo falling is heart-breaking. Isn't there anything we can do?!"

Alakazam began to whisper something to Alder. Alder's eyes widened, yet he nodded with agreement.

"Ah yes, I see why we must wait for the battle to be finished. Alakazam, you are brilliant, and I will follow the path you are setting forth."

Mewtwo gathered the energy from his emanating aura, and blasted Gengar with a shocking sphere of explosive energy. Gengar was taken back from this hit. His nimble footsteps stumbled in an unlikely, bruised manner.

"Impressive," Gengar teased. "And here I was thinking you had no fight left in you. Your little friend tried to defend you until his last conscious breath, saying nonsense like 'You would never destroy anyone,' and that he would be as strong as you. He fell unconscious after that; what a wonderful conclusion to his miniscule speech."

The thought of Allen once again crossed Mewtwo's mind, and gazing up to that limp body in the air intensified the rage towards Gengar. He had to avenge Allen, he had to; it was the only way he would get him back. Mewtwo's eyes glistened with hate, and he prepared for an extremely powerful attack. Energy built up in the palms of Mewtwo's shaking hands as all control was lost. He aimed at Gengar, and struck as quickly as a lightning bolt strikes the sky.

Vile, heinous energy dispersed from Mewtwo's hands with incredible speed. The sound was deafening, reverberating off of the surrounding buildings to shock every bone in the body. The ground flashed red hot and cast deep cracks where Mewtwo stood. Debris scattered across the open square, smashing into nearby windows. The burning glass scathed the ruptured ground, carving marks of collision. Dust from the terrain lifted and churned with the air, almost as if the two dissolved into one.

Silence. After the explosive attack, there was silence.

The impact damaged the entire surrounding area. The grass before their feet had scorched from the outward energy, and smoke lingered with the stirring dust. The damage was hindered from reaching town buildings, however, as a direct hit consumed the blast. Damage only surrounded what was near the center of impact.

Gengar was too clever to take the hit himself. Still holding Allen above with his energy, he released Allen to fall with speed like Mewtwo's attack. The action completed, Allen now acted like a shield against the attack fast approaching. As Mewtwo watched the horrors of his blast hit his friend, he screeched a bloody, sorrowful yell.

The air cleared, along with every shard of hate in Mewtwo's body. Any feeling Mewtwo had was shattered by the realization before him.

Allen. All thoughts were on Allen. Mewtwo rushed to the silhouette on the ground, appearing beside his dearest friend. Gengar began to back off slowly, being unnoticed. Mewtwo stared at his friend.

"I did this…" Mewtwo's voice quivered. "I hurt one of the people I would give my life to save. I lost control. I lost… you." Mewtwo stood with grief, unable to move. Alder stood speechless, about to make a move, until Alakazam motioned for Alder to leave Mewtwo be.

His thoughts went blank. There was no longer a sense of hatred; all that was left was remorse. Silence filled the entire area. Not a sound was made, not a pin drop was heard. That is, until the sinister, crazed laugh of Gengar shattered the air.

"Well done, Mewtwo! That was marvelous!" Gengar smirked with utter enjoyment. "You performed even better than expected! And to think such a silly illusion was enough to create and destroy such power, how fantastic!"

Mewtwo's eyes widened. Words tried to form, but the shock and confusion was too much.

"Well, I've had my fun. Let's remove the illusion, shall we? I'll vanish as well for now, but keep in mind that I'll be in your nightmares. I've promised some acquaintances a favor." In a flash, what appeared to be Allen vanished with Gengar.

The moment Gengar had disappeared, the air warmed and the late evening sunlight returned to full intensity. But nothing could change how Mewtwo was feeling. Even though Gengar had gone, he stared at the spot he had vanished on. The blank shock remained in his mind, leaving no space for thought.

Mewtwo's legs began to shake, then gave way entirely. He kneeled on the burnt grass and didn't bother to stand back up. He began to draw great, shuddering gasps, causing his entire body to tremble with grief.

For the second time, Mewtwo buried his face in his hands and wept.

Alakazam and Alder exchanged glances before making their way towards Mewtwo. Alakazam nodded towards Alder as he began to speak up.

"Mewtwo, there comes a time in life when all living, breathing creatures learn a life lesson. Sometimes that lesson is to speak with politeness, other times it consists of learning how to deal with life's trials. In this case, however, you must learn the art of forgiveness. Alakazam and I forgive your actions, as must yourself. Do not blind yourself from the stars because the sun is gone, but open your eyes wider to welcome its return. Allen has not vanished yet, and I assure you that this is not the end. Now, open your eyes and witness the occurrences before yourself. Take the situation into your own hands, and take control. The power is yours, and yours alone."

Mewtwo continued to sob, but Alder knew that he had heard these words. He knelt down and put an arm around his shoulder.

"Just remember; we'll always be here for you."

Alakazam took a knee on Mewtwo's right side and rubbed Mewtwo's back. He began to murmur in strange tongues, but the words that came out were soft and gentle; it sounded like a song.

Gradually, Mewtwo regained his composure. The combination of Alder's gentle pressure on his shoulder and Alakazam's song helped to ease the awful guilt in his stomach. His mind, previously filled with scattered thoughts, had soothed slightly.

He turned his head towards the three rogue Pokémon, realizing the truth to Alder's words. He could not just stop and wallow in sorrow. Action must be taken, and carried out swiftly. Mewtwo mustered the courage to speak, and expressed his new thoughts not with grief, but with determination.

"Those three Pokémon may awake soon; Let us head towards the Pokémon Center and keep them under close observation."

Alder gave Mewtwo's shoulder a quick squeeze and straightened up as Alakazam did the same. Mewtwo was slower to his feet, as the simple action seemed to be costing him great effort. He stepped slowly over to the Pokémon and bent down to untie them. The three were still asleep, no longer troubled by Gengar's presence.

Mewtwo gingerly raised Seviper and draped him around his shoulders; the creature's length made this method of transport easier. Alakazam used his psychic abilities to lift Nidoking and Weezing off of the ground. Mewtwo turned his head to look at Alder and Alakazam. Twitching his head forward, Mewtwo indicated that he would take the lead to the Pokémon Center.

And so, bearing their odd cargo, they walked.

Time passed slowly at first, but as they traveled, the trek succeeded with no other obstructions. Mewtwo gazed up towards the Pokémon Center, breathing a sigh of relief. Alder held the doors open for Mewtwo and Alakazam to pass through with ease. The moment that they stepped through the open doors, all eyes were fixated on them and their strange situation. The spectators were extremely puzzled to see the three rogue Pokémon previously wreaking havoc to appear before their eyes. Despite all the attention, Mewtwo and the others walked towards the front desk, requesting the assistance of Nurse Joy. Within a minute, Nurse Joy stepped out from the back halls.

"How may I help you all today?" Nurse Joy enquired with a smile.

Mewtwo tried to return the smile, but only achieved a sort of grimace; the recent events had weighed his heart with grief and prevented him from performing the action. When he spoke, the words came out faintly and with little energy.

"We have the Pokémon that were causing all the chaos earlier," said Mewtwo. He motioned behind him to the rest of the party. "It turns out that they were not acting on their own free will, and instead were under possession."

Nurse Joy nodded slowly and glanced around Mewtwo to see Alakazam holding up Nidoking and Weezing with what seemed to be nothing.

"Thank you for bringing these three to us. If you'll follow me, we can get them accommodated for the night and restore them to full health in no time."

Alder's voice came from behind Mewtwo.

"You two go on ahead and follow Nurse Joy; I'll wait in the lobby."

Mewtwo and Alakazam nodded back to Alder in agreement before following Nurse Joy into the back hallways.

At the farthest end of the hallway Nurse Joy was leading the two down, there was a small, quaint room. Medical supplies lined the walls, and a dim light illuminated the room from the window as the sunset's last rays reflected. Before them stood three beds neatly prepared.

"We had a Dodrio stay here once," Nurse Joy began with a smile, "they each requested their own bed. What a trio those guys were."

Mewtwo and Alakazam glanced at each other before breaking the faintest of smirks. They could both see through Nurse Joy's attempt to lighten the atmosphere, but they appreciated the gesture all the same. Nurse Joy began to prepare the room for the rogue Pokémon, setting up the proper equipment. Once everything was in place, Nurse Joy gently transitioned Seviper from Mewtwo's shoulders to the first bed. She then signaled Alakazam to follow suit and place Nidoking and Weezing to a designated bed. Nurse Joy then spoke,

"I'll run a few tests to diagnose the state of their conditions, and keep you all updated as soon as possible. In the meantime, you both seem exhausted; care to stay the night? Of course Alder is welcome as well."

"Umm…" Mewtwo started uncertainly. He turned his head to Alakazam who gave a look that plainly said, _It's up to you_.

"Yes, Miss Joy, we'll spend the night here." He was about to continue when he stopped short. He forgot that Alakazam was not free to make his own decisions like he was. So he had to revise his statement.

"I mean, I'll spend the night here. I don't know if Alder will, so I'll have to ask him."

Nurse Joy bowed her head and said, "Certainly. I'll be conducting tests meanwhile, so I will join you momentarily."

"Thank you."

As Nurse Joy gathered a team of Chansey to assist her work, Alakazam and Mewtwo made their way back to the lobby. Alder sat waiting patiently for their return. Once Alder noticed their presence, he spoke up,

"Welcome back! How is the situation?"

"Nurse Joy is currently running tests, and we will be notified as soon as possible," Mewtwo said in the same tired voice, "Oh, and Nurse Joy offered us a night to rest in the Pokémon Center. What are your thoughts?"

Alder thought for a minute before responding. "Hmm, it would be a nice opportunity to stay close to those three Pokémon, but at the same time I must finish some work left unattended at my own abode. Especially after this sort of incident, it is necessary to keep the town at rest, and keep everything organized."

Mewtwo completely understood where Alder's point arose from; he was the village's most trusted resident after all. Mewtwo was about to speak, when he heard Alakazam interrupt.

_Why not allow me to remain for the night, while you and Alder focus on village duties? If anything happens to develop at this Pokémon Center, I would be able to send a psychic connection to reach the two of you. This way, the tasks are handled appropriately. _

Again, Mewtwo took a breath to speak but stopped. He looked outside the window and noticed that the sky was turning indigo in the east and a deep, bloodshot red in the west. His legs felt like lead, his eyelids growing heavier with the passing minutes. The aches of the day's events had completely worn him out. He just wanted to go to bed.

Mewtwo sighed, turning slowly to face Alder and Alakazam.

"Look, I'm really sorry, but today has been an extremely long day. Can't we just… um…" Mewtwo struggled under the combination of mental exhaustion and finding the right words to finish the sentence.

Alder walked up to Mewtwo and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's all right. I agree, today has indeed been a tiresome day. Spend the night here in the Pokémon Center, and Alakazam and I can return in the morning to see you. There is no harm in a few hours of rest."

Relief spread across Mewtwo's face.

"Thank you," he said. "As soon as my energy returns in the morning, I'll be able to think clearly again."

Alder and Alakazam nodded with understanding, and prepared for departure. Alder withdrew Alakazam's Pokéball when Mewtwo quickly stepped forward and held up his hand to stop him.

"Wait… Alakazam…" Mewtwo extended the same hand. "Thank you for everything today. You are an extraordinary Pokémon with great skill, and I have learned much from you."

Alakazam grinned and shook hands with Mewtwo.

_It was a pleasure working with you today,_ _and I await the many great things to come. For now, I wish you a wonderful stay at the Pokémon Center. We will see each other again soon._

Mewtwo cracked a smile as Alakazam returned to Alder's Pokéball. Alder bid Mewtwo one final goodbye, then proceeded to leave the building. Mewtwo turned and walked toward the front desk, prepared to ask the one working about a spare room to stay. The attendant working the front desk directed Mewtwo to the available room on the far right of the second hall. After maneuvering through the halls, Mewtwo successfully found the empty room he would inhabit for the night.

The room was cozy, much like the room they had seen earlier. However, it was clearly prepared for guests instead of patients. Large, curtained windows made up much of the left side. A bed sat along the middle of the wall opposite the door, lit by lamps located on either side. A desk, complete with a comfy chair, desk lamp, and drawers were on the right side of the room. Mewtwo breathed in the smell of clean linens and felt the soft carpeting cushion his feet. He couldn't quite place how it came about, but he felt like he belonged in this room. It felt like he was at home, something that he could never remember before.

Mewtwo walked over to the windows to look outside. The sky was progressively getting darker, now turning to the deepest of navy as the sun no longer lit the sky. The lamps that were lit behind him made strong glares and allowed him to see himself in the glass. He studied his reflection for the first time in many years.

Analyzing himself, Mewtwo noticed small details about himself that were previously oblivious before. The curvature of his back, how he held his tail, and most notably, the scars on his back. The scars, slightly faded, still remained ingrained on to Mewtwo's skin, but the image now burned in his head. Mewtwo recognized that these scars are a part of who he is, but as he stared at them, he wondered what his life would be like without the scars. What life would be like without the power, without the fighting, without any of it? The scars molded him, but did he really want to be molded this way? His reflection as a whole, what did it truly mean? Who was he really? These questions flared in Mewtwo's mind like the start of a wildfire.

And suddenly, Mewtwo didn't feel exhausted at all. On the contrary, he felt wide awake. Though he now wanted to go help Alder with his work, Mewtwo knew that he should get at least some sleep. He reluctantly stepped over to the bed, got under the covers, and laid his head on the pillows. It was extremely comfortable in these fresh, clean sheets, and he allowed his eyes to close.

These scars were what defined him. Ever since he arose from his fifteen years of rest, it was the scars. But then he thought again about not having the scars. He remembered what Alder had told him about the evil organization. He remembered his experience with his past self, and how the other Mewtwo had behaved… Did he really want that?

The questions began to blaze even quicker and swirled around Mewtwo's head. Maybe he could he give it all up now? Make a fresh start and forget about the past, start a new life, and learn to live without the impressions of the scars. Learn to live with no regard to his past. Learn to live a happy, normal life. Learn to live… knowing Allen may never be seen again. Learn to live that it was because of his recklessness that Allen was taken, and possibly never return. Learn to live with the fact that he abandoned Alder, Alakazam, and all of Ether Valley when they needed him most. Life without the scars… would it truly make a difference? Whether he was involved or not, would that change the fact that people were in danger, Pokémon in pain, and evil organizations were destroying the tranquility of life? Mewtwo began to remember _why _he had the scars in the first place. The scars were not just a reminder of a dark past, but proof that he fought for his own future, against the control of anyone. He had fought for his _own _life; a life where he could enjoy the earth's beauty, and _protect_ those he cared for.

And with that thought, Mewtwo finally fell asleep.


	4. Gengar

Mewtwo had soon awoken, but kept his eyes shut. It didn't feel like he had been asleep for long. He didn't want to get up yet, so he willed himself to drift back off to sleep. The trouble was that a breeze was causing some sort of whistling nearby. The wind was blowing a little too strongly over him to allow Mewtwo to stay comfortable. It agitated him and caused him to roll over and over in attempts to get back to a comfortable position.

This surface was much firmer than he recalled…

And why could he feel the breeze? Weren't the windows shut?

Something wasn't right...

Mewtwo's eyes snapped open.

He was no longer in his bed; rather, he found himself lying down on hard pavement outside a well-kept building. It was still night out, where the sickle moon hung high overhead. How did he get here?

Mewtwo rose to a sitting position and looked up. There on the front of the building was a sign that read "Lavender Town Pokémon Center."

_Lavender Town?_

"Oh dear," Mewtwo whispered.

He quickly got to his feet. Through the glass doors of the Pokémon Center, there was only darkness. He tried to open the door, but it remained firmly locked. Obviously the Center was closed.

Now Mewtwo was baffled. This scene strongly reminded him of the encounter with Giovanni, and he had no desire to repeat the experience. Should he wait for something to happen? Or should he try to escape if this was indeed another memory?

Almost in response to his question, the high-pitched whistling he heard earlier became clearly audible. Mewtwo located it to be coming from behind the Pokémon Center. He walked around the building to investigate the source of the noise.

As he cleared the corner, another building caught his eye, one that was far taller than the Pokémon Center. It stood at least ten stories taller than the surrounding buildings, but looked much older as well. The windows of the building were grimy, boarded up, or simply missing or shattered. It was from one of these holes in the wall that the whistling was coming from.

But one of the rooms at the very top of the tower was ablaze with light. Mewtwo could see the light flickering as shadows were cast on the walls from movement.

Someone was up there…

As if the tower gestured for Mewtwo to examine closer, Mewtwo felt the sensation that he had to delve through and upwards to the top of the tower, and uncover the secret concealed by this archaic structure. Mewtwo maneuvered his way around until he found the entrance; two cracked, concrete doors stood cold and firm before him. Mewtwo took a breath of the heavy air around him, and pushed the doors open.

The atmosphere became extremely dense, and he felt an unexplainable weight on his shoulders. Surrounding the darkness of the room, gray figures loomed into view. At a closer glance, the gray figures were revealed to be worn gravestones. Each grave was meticulously carved with the name and year of a beloved Pokémon. As his eyes adjusted, more and more gravestones appeared from out of the darkness. Stones of all sizes, each with its own past and careful creation, fell before Mewtwo's eyes. As Mewtwo gazed upon these stones, a sense of grief welled within him. The gravestones, though broken and plain, seemed to cry out their sorrows. Mewtwo stood in silence for a moment before taking the initiative to continue onward.

Mewtwo slowly walked towards the staircase located in the far right corner of the room. He glanced back towards the graves one last time, and then proceeded to climb the fragile stairs. Step by step, Mewtwo continued to climb what seemed like an endless staircase.

_Forty steps… Sixty steps…_

A strange sound had reached Mewtwo's ears. It sounded like someone was yelling in pain… something he had hoped to never hear again. He quickened his pace.

_Eighty… One hundred… One hundred twenty…_

Now he could hear raucous laughter from the stairs far above him in response to these cries of pain. Mewtwo began to run as he again increased his pace.

_One hundred forty… One hundred sixty… One hundred eighty…_

A thunderous crash shook the whole stairwell and sent dust everywhere. In response, Mewtwo sprinted, taking the steps three at a time. He was going flat out, trying not to trip in his haste.

Mewtwo burst onto the top landing, breathing hard, his legs worn out from the huge climb. In the narrow hallway, a door on the right stood ajar, casting a long sliver of light onto the floor and the opposite wall. Mewtwo cautiously approached, listening to the laughter in the room. The yelling had stopped.

And then a horribly familiar voice spoke…

"Now, I'm going to ask you again. What is the secret?"

Mewtwo crept right up to the door and peered through the small gap.

From what he could see, the paint on the walls was peeling and cracks were visible in some places. A single light bulb hanging from the ceiling lit the room, leaving the corner he could see relatively dark. Mewtwo pushed the door slightly and had to suppress a gasp.

Gengar was leaning on the left wall, looking at something in the middle of the room. A wild smile lit his face as his eyes glowed that heinous scarlet hue. There was no pity in his gaze.

The muttering that reached Mewtwo's ears was indistinct and nearly inaudible, but whoever said it and whatever they said wiped the grin from Gengar's face to be replaced by a frown.

"Very well then."

Gengar nodded to something out of sight, shortly followed by a shuddering gasp and a loud thud.

Desperate to see what was going on and why, Mewtwo opened the door.

A Haunter was positioned to the right of a toppled figure that lay in the middle of the room. The figure was a person that had fallen sideways along with the chair he was sitting in. And when Mewtwo saw who the person was, all time seemed to have stopped.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Mewtwo sat bolt upright in his bed, awoken as suddenly as if someone had slapped him. He was still screaming to the heavens and only stopped when he found himself in the dark room he had never left. Cold sweat covered Mewtwo's forehead, and the haunting image was burned into his vision to help keep the experience horribly fresh in his mind.

Mewtwo turned his head to the right and read the luminous clock that sat on the nightstand beside his bed. The clock read 4:00.

Without preamble, Mewtwo sprung out from under his covers, wretched open the door, and sprinted through the halls of the Pokémon Center.

He came flying into the moonlit lobby and didn't stop until he reached the front doors. Grasping the handle and yanking hard in his haste, he didn't expect the door to be locked. Mewtwo had already thrown all of his weight behind the pull, resulting in his hand slipping from the handle. His inertia quickly carried him backwards into and over a low coffee table. The resulting crash was loud enough to awaken the whole village.

Mewtwo hit his head very hard on the floor. It felt like his skull had been split in two. Small lights popped in his eyes, which, in combination with the dark room, temporarily blinded him. He clutched the back of his head, eyes watering from the sudden and intense pain.

Still on the ground, Mewtwo heard hurried footsteps enter the lobby. The lights turned on and the same footsteps quickly approached Mewtwo.

"What on _earth_ are you doing?!"

Mewtwo opened his eyes and managed to look up. Nurse Joy was standing over him in a pink bath robe, hands on her hips, and what looked like a stare of death in her eyes.

"It's four in the morning, and you just caused enough noise to awaken the dead. _Explain yourself_, or we go straight to Officer Jenny."

Mewtwo took a minute to catch his breath.

"I'm so sorry… It's just…" Mewtwo stuttered, thinking carefully of how he could place his words. "I had a horrific nightmare, and my body just subconsciously reacted the way it did. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble. I really did not intend to."

Nurse Joy stared straight into Mewtwo's eyes for what seemed like a long time before heaving a large sigh.

"Well, it must have been quite the dream then. Will you be all right for the remainder of the night—err, morning, before we officially open up for the day?"

Mewtwo's heart pulsed extremely quickly from both the intense nightmare and his guilt for causing Nurse Joy such trouble. The last thing he wanted was to abuse the kindness that had been offered to him.

"I'll be okay," Mewtwo finally responded. "Once the sun rises, I will take my leave. I appreciate all you have done for me, really."

Nurse Joy finally broke a tired, slight smile.

"Of course. Now do not let all your troubles get the best of you. Rest easy, and preferably quietly, before taking off again. You are still welcome here, and everyone here is willing to help you if needed. I'll be off to check up on some of the patients, but let me know if you require anything."

Mewtwo nodded and thanked her once more. As Nurse Joy closed the door behind her, Mewtwo found himself sluggishly making his way back to the bed. He was not tired, but drained of energy. He needed to make sense of everything that has been occurring around him. Gazing outside the window and into the black sky, Mewtwo knew he had to formulate some plan of action. But first, he needed to get back to sleep.

He returned to the entrance of the hallway, turned off the lights to the lobby, and made his way back to his room. He re-entered the room, now very dark compared to the bright lobby. He had to walk slowly and feel his way back while waiting for his eyes to readjust.

Mewtwo finally found his bed and slowly got in. He gingerly placed his head on the pillows and closed his eyes. The back of his head was pulsing a nasty tattoo, and, combined with the recent events, prevented him from thinking clearly.

What did he have to do? The obvious answer was to save Allen, but right now wasn't quite an option, considering that he was locked in the Center until dawn. He felt like he had to do something. He wanted to take action immediately, but it would be a betrayal of Joy's trust if he broke out of the Center himself.

If he broke out of the Center himself…

_Himself…_

And then it hit him.

Mewtwo opened his eyes again and sat back up. He wasn't entirely sure if this would work, but it was still worth a try. Concentrating on Alder, Mewtwo hoped he would be audible and thought.

_Alder, can you hear me?_

Like yesterday, Mewtwo could clearly hear his own voice in his head, and knew that it had worked. He could only hope for a reply.

Sure enough, a few seconds passed and Mewtwo heard the worn and slightly irritated voice of Alder.

_Mewtwo? Is that you? This is a bit early for a wakeup call, don't you think?_

_I'm very sorry, Alder, but I need to tell you something._

_Well, I hardly have an excuse not to listen. Please go on._

Slightly taken aback by the response, Mewtwo continued, _I just had a nightmare where I found Allen in the Pokémon Tower, held captive by that Gengar we fought yesterday. It was sharp as reality, and I think it was some sort of vision._

Alder's voice quickly tensed, _Really? Then we must go immediately!_

_Are you sure?_ Mewtwo questioned, _Can we go right now?_

_Yes, yes, never mind the time! Our friend is in danger! We must act!_

_But I'm still in the Pokémon Center, locked in until dawn. Can you do anything about it?_

Alder's impatience was showing as the conversation continued. _Of course. Alakazam will waste no time with the task as I prepare to journey. I will meet you in front of the Pokémon Center while Alakazam helps you out._

Mewtwo breathed a sigh of relief, _Thank you Alder. Again, I'm sorry to awaken you so early._

_Don't worry about it. Some things are more important than getting an early wakeup call._

Mewtwo again jumped out of bed, opened the door, and sneaked out to the lobby.

In each corner of the lobby, shadows of furniture, books, and small objects covered the entire area. Mewtwo slowly crept his way through the darkness, his footsteps as light as a feather. A large shadow appeared, presumably the shadow of the front entrance. Mewtwo awaited a signal from Alakazam. Within a few moments, he heard the lock of the door click. Mewtwo approached the door handle and proceeded to open the door. With a slight creak, the door swung wide.

_Thank you. _

Mewtwo stepped through the doorway, finding Alakazam outside. Mewtwo closed the door quietly behind himself, and Alakazam relocked the door. Together, they waited for Alder to join the two of them.

Once Alder made his way to the front of the Pokémon Center, Alakazam prepared for transport by offering his hands to Alder and Mewtwo. Alder took the proffered hand, but Mewtwo didn't. Confused, he looked up to Alder.

"Wait… what exactly is going on here? Shouldn't we be leaving for Lavender Town?"

"We are. Alakazam is able to teleport us straight there with no obstacles. Convenient, isn't it?"

Mewtwo's eyes widened,

"Really? That must take an incredible amount of skill! Alakazam never ceases to amaze me."

Mewtwo took Alakazam's hand as Alder asked, "Are you ready, Alakazam?"

Alakazam nodded in response and closed his eyes.

Immediately, Mewtwo felt a warmth start in his right hand and spread throughout his body. The moment it reached his fingers and toes, everything melted around them. The scene dissolved into blackness momentarily before reforming around them. The surrounding buildings came into focus. The moon sharpened in the sky and cast its light onto the surrounding area. Mewtwo turned around to look again at the well-kept Pokémon Center of Lavender Town. A swooping feeling swept through his chest as he recalled the nightmare, still very fresh in his mind despite the passing of time.

Alakazam released his grip and turned to Alder, who spoke in little more than a rumble.

"Well done, Alakazam! That shortened our journey considerably."

"Indeed," Mewtwo agreed.

Alder stepped in front of the two and looked at them.

"Now, Mewtwo, you said that you saw Allen in the Pokémon Tower, correct?"

Mewtwo nodded quickly in response.

"Then we have no time to waste! Let's go!"

As they hastily walked, Mewtwo continued to notice the uncanny atmosphere of the area. The contorted trees and dark buildings were extremely similar to those in the nightmare, and it was not long until the three stood before the dreaded Pokémon Tower. A chill traveled down Mewtwo's spine as he gazed upon the familiar building. He was well aware that he would once again need to traverse the countless steps, and even experience the horrors that may await. But now he was not alone. This time, he would have Alder and Alakazam to help him through it all, to guide him on the right path, and experience what was to come with him. Mewtwo turned back towards Alder and Alakazam before he opened the doors. He wasn't alone. The doors creaked open, and Mewtwo began to lead the way towards the top of the Tower.

Once again, the darkness of the room compressed their vision. Mewtwo stood there, trying to allow his eyes to adjust. But Alder made his opinion heard.

"Why are we all standing in the dark? Mewtwo, can you give us some light?"

Mewtwo held up his hands and quickly conjured a small, bright ball of energy. The room was immediately relieved of dark and instead became bathed in purple.

Having not seen the sea of tombstones before, Mewtwo heard Alakazam draw a sharp breath in response to the sight. Mewtwo turned and spoke to him directly.

"Know that these Pokémon rest easy now. I'm sure that they all lived good lives and were loved by their owners."

With what looked like a hard face in the semi-dark, Alakazam nodded stiffly.

Mewtwo meandered through the graves toward the far corner with Alder and Alakazam right behind him. And again, the staircase with no end stood before him, winding up and out of sight.

"Well," Mewtwo said, "here we go."

And they climbed.

And climbed.

And _climbed_.

One foot after the other, the ascent seemed even longer than in the dream. However, no sound reached Mewtwo's ears this time. As this observation ran through Mewtwo, it concerned him far more than the wails of pain or the laughter had. He felt the urge to start running, and obeyed it without hesitation. Alder and Alakazam were in his wake, matching him step for step.

When they finally approached the landing to the top, Mewtwo turned once again to the others. The glowing ball of energy in his hand lit his face quite eerily, but his eyes were alert. Mewtwo made only one motion before extinguishing the light; he raised a finger to his lips.

In darkness, they entered the narrow hall. The door was ajar, exactly as it had been in the dream. But there was no light in the room beyond it. Mewtwo crept up to the door and put an eye up to the gap. He couldn't see anything at all.

In one slow, smooth motion, Mewtwo grasped the handle and gently pushed the door open.

What little light that was filtering through the grimy windows appeared to have shown an empty room. The squares of moonlight that fell on the floor revealed nothing to the eyes.

Mewtwo's jaw fell open at the sight.

Alder saw this and whispered, "What? What do you see?"

Mewtwo turned his head to look at Alder in the pitch black.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

Alder gasped, "No! Let me see,"

Mewtwo stepped into the room to allow Alder and Alakazam to enter. Alder quickly glanced around and breathed, "I don't believe it! Why isn't he here?"

"I don't know," Mewtwo whispered.

Alder meant to lean on the back wall, but jumped quickly with a cry of pain.

"Ouch! What was that?" He peered closely to where he leaned. "Oh! It's a light switch!" He reached towards it and flipped the switch.

Mewtwo quickly looked to the center of the room to see if the lights would turn on as they did. But what he saw made him convulsively react in such a way that made him trip over his own feet.

Allen sat in the middle of the room, his hands tied behind the chair that he occupied. He was leaning forward so that his face was not visible. But his jeans were torn in several places, blood staining the rips. His right leg was bent at an odd angle and was not pleasing to the eye.

Mewtwo scrambled to his feet and skidded to his knees beside Allen. Now that he was level, he received the full blast of Allen's injuries.

"Oh my God…" Mewtwo breathed, "What did they do to you?"

It was horrible. Gashes covered Allen's face, some of them looking very deep. Blood was gently flowing from some of the deeper wounds to stain his face and drip into his lap. Mewtwo quickly found Allen's wrist and searched for a pulse. For a heart-stopping moment, Mewtwo thought he couldn't find one, but he then felt a very faint beating in the depths of Allen's wrist.

Alder and Alakazam moved forward, their faces showing nothing but appall at the scene.

"Who would do such a thing?" were the words that came out of Alder's mouth.

Alakazam had bowed his head and closed his eyes. He put a hand up to his eyes, but no sooner had he done that did he collapse to the floor. He caught himself with his right arm and leaned heavily on it to support his weight. Alakazam's face was tinged green, and it looked like he was close to fainting.

Alder turned around, caught sight of Alakazam, and rushed to his side. He skidded to the floor and put an arm around Alakazam's shoulder. He looked to Mewtwo and said, "We need to move quickly. I don't know how long Allen's been there, but his injuries are undoubtedly severe. Try and awaken him first." Alder then turned his attention back to Alakazam, coaxing him to try and lay down flat.

Mewtwo swiveled on the spot back to Allen and said clearly, "Allen, can you hear me?"

No response.

Mewtwo repeated himself, louder this time, "Allen! Tell me if you can hear me."

Still no response.

Mewtwo took hold of Allen's shoulder and gingerly shook him.

Allen opened his eyes blearily and turned to look at Mewtwo. He seemed to be looking through a thick haze of pain, and had trouble focusing on Mewtwo.

"You came… you're here…"

Mewtwo bent around to the back of the chair and quickly untied Allen's hands. They, like his face, were shining red with blood. Allen rubbed his wrists, still slumped forward and apparently unable to sit up straight. He looked around again.

"How can I ever thank you?"

"You can't," Mewtwo said, "I'm the one that got you into this mess. But now, I'm going to get you out."

Allen smiled weakly in response. "You are the most courageous being I've ever had the fortune to meet, Mewtwo."

Mewtwo responded sadly, "I only wish it was so."

Mewtwo put his arm under Allen's and helped him upright in his seat.

"Can you stand?"

Allen shook his head heavily, "I don't know."

Mewtwo slowly raised Allen off the chair, but stopped quickly. Allen's right leg was shaking violently and would not take his weight. He set him back in the chair.

"Allen, I think your leg is broken."

Allen looked at it with interest and whispered, "Well, that might complicate things."

Mewtwo looked back to Alder and Alakazam. Alakazam had risen to a sitting position, his head on his forearms which were resting on his knees. Alder turned back to Mewtwo.

"I think it was just shock that caused him to collapse. He should be back to standing shortly."

"While he recovers, I need help to move Allen. His right leg might be broken, so he can't put any weight on it," Mewtwo said.

Alder whispered something to Alakazam, who nodded in response. Alder stood up and approached Allen's right side. He put his own arm under Allen's and helped him to a standing pose.

Mewtwo's height forced him to stoop slightly and allow Allen to comfortably support himself against Mewtwo's shoulders. Together, they moved slowly towards the door as Alakazam rose to his feet.

_Please, I don't want to spend any more time here than we have to._

_No problem,_ Mewtwo responded, _I agree that we have to leave as soon as possible._

But before they could take another step, an intense cold rose from Mewtwo's back to his shoulders. His muscles seized up in response and caused him to fall forward, almost dragging Allen and Alder with him. He had been struck by a Lick attack.

Alakazam's eyes widened in fear as he took several steps back towards the door. Alder, thoroughly confused, asked, "What? What's happened?"

Alakazam's voice shook as he responded, _It's Gengar! He's back!_

Mewtwo's muscles relaxed and allowed him to spring back to his feet.

"He's here?! Now?!" shouted Mewtwo, looking everywhere in the room.

"Of course I'm here; you need to open your eyes more often, Mewtwo."

The echoing voice came from the opposite end of the room. Not long after the statement was made, Gengar materialized from shadow and vapor. His wicked grin was still present on his face, his eyes burning scarlet.

Immediately, the atmosphere became exceedingly still. Mewtwo's face dropped with the appearance of Gengar. Various emotions enveloped him at once; anger, fear, and a sense of vengefulness among them. That smirk on Gengar's face repulsed him; one glance was enough to churn his stomach and tighten every muscle in his body.

"Why?" Mewtwo scowled under his breath. "Why did you do this to him, and how could you have the nerve to bring your face back here?"

Gengar's vile grin grew larger as he spoke,

"When we took in Allen, he was—oh, how should I say it... a little resistant to our interrogations." He seemed to relish these words as they were spoken. "We tried to persuade him to divulge what we wanted, so some—ah, forceful handling was required. Shame that you came, really; I gamble that a few more hours would've broken him. But it wouldn't have been the only thing that broke."

Mewtwo was completely and utterly sickened by Gengar. How could anyone be so naturally monstrous? Mewtwo's composure was slipping by the minute. He glanced back towards Alakazam and Alder with eyes conflicted as to which action to take, but then his glance fell back upon Allen. Allen was first priority, despite any situation.

_Please, take Allen to safety. I'll handle Gengar._

Alder and Alakazam gave a look of concern, but nodded in agreement. With quick pace, the two made it to Allen's side and prepared for teleportation.

"Oh?" Gengar enquired. "Leaving so soon?"

"I advise you look this way Gengar," Mewtwo said boldly, jabbing a finger into his chest. "I'm your opponent."

As Gengar turned to face Mewtwo, Allen, Alakazam, and Alder teleported. Mewtwo's voice lowered to somewhat of a growl.

"It's just you and me, Gengar. You and me."

Gengar closed his eyes and hung his head, but did not remove the smile.

"For your sake, I hope you've learned to control your emotions; last time was just far too easy. Do you really want to battle, knowing that the same thing will happen?" He looked up again. "Just know that this building will not withstand the kind of damage you inflicted yesterday."

Mewtwo's face hardened with resolve.

"Whether the building falls or not, my only priority is stopping you. You've done enough damage to the innocent. I will not allow you to hurt anyone else as you did to Allen."

Gengar began to laugh.

"It's funny, really. You try to act like the hero, but deep down, you're the same as I am. If anything, you've hurt countless more people than I ever have." Gengar paused for a moment. "Stop me? How can you have any hope of stopping me when you can't even stop yourself?"

The words made Mewtwo twitch, for he knew they held some truth. But he mustered his courage to deflect the statement.

"I've learned a lot since yesterday, and I'm sure it's more than you've learned in a decade. When have you last shown compassion? Respect? Remorse? Have you learned from your mistakes? Because if you've never made a mistake, then you've never had a chance to learn."

Gengar's eyes reduced to slits.

"You're the one that should be learning from me! We've all seen how bad you are at battling. You're only using Alakazam as your crutch while he does all the work! How can you say you've learned anything?"

These words did not sting Mewtwo, for he knew better than to take the bait and get angry. He adjusted his stance and readied himself.

"There's more to learn in life than battling, Gengar."

Gengar mirrored Mewtwo's movement, his hands curled into fists.

"Then why don't you show me?"

For two seconds that lasted an eternity, they stared directly into each other's eyes, the violet into the red and the red into the violet. Mewtwo knew that he must not allow himself to lose control this time, especially because of this building's poor state. The consequences could be catastrophic.

Then the tension broke, and both made a move at exactly the same time.

Mewtwo struck with a burst of energy from his hands, but Gengar was too quick. He sidestepped the attack and allowed it to hit the wall behind him. The impact sent cracks running from the point of impact to join those that were already there. Gengar raised his hands still curled into fists and swung a left hook into thin air.

A heavy blow to the face caught Mewtwo completely off guard. It carried him into the wall, causing him to hit it with great force. Head miraculously clear, he quickly ensured that everything was still working properly before retaliating with his own psychic move.

He misjudged the attack, and instead of mimicking Gengar's punch to the face, Gengar had his legs taken out from under him, rather like he had slipped on an invisible banana peel. He hit the floor with a thud before scrambling back to his feet.

"Low blow, Mewtwo… Low blow."

In truth, Mewtwo did feel that the attack was way below the belt compared to his standards, but if cheap tactics could secure a victory, then so be it.

Mewtwo paid for his hesitancy in pressing the advantage. Gengar had cast a dark shadow, extinguishing any and all light in the room. He dissolved into the darkness, but Mewtwo knew better than to think he had gone. Mewtwo quickly encased himself in a luminous ball of energy in attempts to protect himself. The darkness was impenetrable, but what had become trapped in his protective sphere had mysteriously melted, as it couldn't stand contact with the energy. This gave Mewtwo an idea.

Gengar's voice echoed throughout the room, "You can't hide forever, Mewtwo! Sooner or later you'll have to come out!"

"Look who's talking," Mewtwo growled.

Concentrating with all of his might on the darkness, Mewtwo pushed his sphere of energy away from his body with lightning speed. The shade of night was successfully driven from the room without harming the building's fragile structure.

But Gengar got caught up with the dispersal of energy, and was propelled upward and away from Mewtwo. Without the cover of darkness, Gengar became visible again as he was smashed against the ceiling. A massive crash shook the room, letting loose dust and chunks of debris from the ceiling. Gengar fell freely into the floor, producing another room-shaking contact.

Gengar did not get up immediately, but rose slowly and unsteadily to his feet, weaving drunkenly to try and steady himself. His eyes had crossed, having trouble getting Mewtwo into focus. It seemed like the impact had unseated him. In response to this show of weakness, a small voice, not Alder's or Alakazam's, but his very own, spoke.

_Don't kill Gengar._

_I know_, Mewtwo told the small voice. _I wasn't planning on it._

_Good! _said the voice. _But you must weaken him further to prevent him from striking back. _Confusing _him will do the trick!_

He could not remember using the _Confusion_ move before, but he had an idea of how it worked. Putting all of his faith into the next move as well as the little voice in his head, Mewtwo made his move.

A weird rushing started from what felt like inside his head and moved forward rapidly, taking with it a tailwind that blew against Mewtwo's back. It seemed as if he had unleashed the power of the winds upon Gengar. But it was clearly much more significant than a simple blow of the breeze.

The invisible rush fell upon Gengar, making his whole form shimmer vibrantly from the attack. He stood stock still with his eyes closed, both of his hands rising up to grab his head. He bent over double, looking like he was about to be sick. Gengar's breathing intensified so that he was drawing deep, increasingly rapid breaths.

"No… No… Please…"

The words came out in a moan. He seemed to be talking to someone that only he could see. He sank to his knees, still clutching his head.

Mewtwo was utterly bewildered. He didn't think that Confusion would do this to his opponents. He took a tentative step forward when Gengar spoke again.

"No… Stop… I—don't want…"

Now Mewtwo was panicking. Gengar's voice was no longer rough, but had a note of desperation in it. To Mewtwo, it was emotionally devastating to see his attack go so wrong.

Gengar's hands now covered his whole face, his head hanging to face the ground. The pleas continued to pour forth as his voice rapidly rose to a shout.

"S—stop! No... I'll do anything! Just don't… don't do it—please! No—NO!"

Gengar began to tremble on the ground. Mewtwo ran forward but was stopped in his tracks by an awful yell.

"No! Don't hurt her! Hurt me instead! Just—don't hurt… No… It's all my fault, all my fault…"

Tears poured from Gengar's still closed eyes. It appalled Mewtwo at how wrongly the battle was going. But from the looks of it, he didn't think there was anything to do except wait out the effects.

"No more! I beg of you, please! No more!"

There had to have been a better way than this. There just had to.

And then, just when Mewtwo though it couldn't get any worse, Gengar unearthed the loudest scream yet, one to make Mewtwo's blood run cold.

"KILL ME!"

It reverberated around the room, making the scream infinitely more terrible to hear. Mewtwo stood speechless over Gengar's shaking form, unable to say, think, or do anything.

But Gengar wasn't finished yet.

"AAAAAAAAAAUGH!"

The piercing scream spiraled horribly throughout the room, echoing in Mewtwo's ears and throughout his own body, jarring his heart, turning his insides to ice. On and on it went, Gengar screaming as if he were on fire.

He gave one last, shuddering gasp before falling face first onto the floor.

"No… No! Gengar! GENGAR!"

Mewtwo was in complete distress. He dropped to Gengar's side and rolled him onto his back. His eyes were closed and his mouth was slightly open. He seemed to have gone unconscious.

Mewtwo grabbed his shoulders and shook. Gengar's tongue lolled around unpleasantly, still unconscious. Mewtwo took hold and dragged him over to the left to sit against the wall. Gengar's limbs remained limp as he was propped into a sitting position.

"Come on, Gengar, stay with me!" Mewtwo said desperately. He used the back of his hand and rapped the wall to create some noise.

Gengar's head began to move slowly from side to side as though he was struggling against bonds holding him to the wall. Mewtwo shook his shoulders again in response.

Gengar's eyes opened sluggishly. They were still unfocused and glazed over, but Mewtwo immediately noticed something. Though his eyes were still red, they were no longer glowing a luminous scarlet. They were instead colored darker and resembled more of a burgundy. Mewtwo also realized that the eyes had become softer and less... less angled. It was hard to put his finger on how, but the aura around Gengar seemed to be lacking in hostility compared to Mewtwo's previous encounters with him.

Gengar gave his head a little shake and sat up straighter. Blinking several times, his eyes finally focused and locked right into Mewtwo's gaze.

Gengar instantly cried out in shock, startling Mewtwo.

"Mewtwo! I—oh no... No, no, no! It wasn't me, I swear it! I didn't do it! Don't—"

Gengar was cowering against the wall, arms held out in front as if attempting to push Mewtwo away. Pure terror possessed his eyes.

"Don't kill me! Please! I want to live!" He covered his face with his hands and his body began to shake from fear.

"No… Gengar, listen. I'm not here to kill you." Mewtwo said weakly, placing his hand on Gengar's shoulder. Gengar opened his eyes and lowered his hands slightly.

"You're not?" he asked timidly.

"No, of course not, and I don't have any intention to do so."

"But—but what are you doing here then? Where's Giovanni?"

"I—what?" Mewtwo asked, distracted by the second question.

"Where's Giovanni?" Gengar repeated, trying to see around Mewtwo.

A vivid image, sharp as reality, flashed in Mewtwo's vision. The man in the suit… tall, proud, and menacing, the insane smile on his face. He could see his lips forming words…

_This won't be the last you see of me; mark my words._

And as suddenly as the image had come, it was gone. Mewtwo found himself staring blankly into Gengar's wide, fearful eyes. He mentally shook himself and responded.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Gengar responded disbelievingly. "He's always with you! How did you get away from him?"

Mewtwo was flummoxed. What was he talking about?

"Hold on—slow down a second," he said, trying to regain a grip on the conversation. "What do you mean, 'He's always with you?'"

Gengar looked equally confused, and took a moment to respond. He said slowly, "The two of you together; your acts are legendary! Nobody speaks your names without fear striking their hearts."

But Mewtwo got hung up on one word that Gengar said. His acts _are_ legendary?

Something was rubbing Mewtwo the wrong way. He felt like Gengar was behind the times; fifteen years behind, to be exact.

He decided to test his suspicions.

"Gengar, what's the date?"

Gengar was taken aback by the sudden topic shift, but promptly answered, "It's the second of July, 1998."

So it was true; Gengar had absolutely no memory of the past fifteen years. He had suffered from some sort of memory loss, just as Mewtwo had, before right now. But that doesn't explain his actions Mewtwo witnessed since yesterday.

He needed to know more.

Something from Mewtwo's thoughts must have shown on his face because Gengar asked, "Why? What's wrong?"

Mewtwo sighed deeply.

"Today is not the second of July. It's not even 1998. Today is the twentieth of October, 2013. We're at the top floor of the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town. I was here along with some of my good allies on a rescue mission. The person we managed to rescue was being held captive by you not very long ago."

Gengar's jaw dropped in response to this information. He stared in total disbelief back into Mewtwo's eyes.

Mewtwo strengthened his grip on Gengar's shoulder.

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. I went through something similar just yesterday, so I know how you feel. If you come with me, we can put the pieces together as to what's been going on these past fifteen years."

Gengar mouthed wordlessly in response. It seemed like the shock was still weighing heavily on him. Mewtwo waited a minute before lowering his voice.

"Let me help you. Please. I _want_ to help you."

Gengar closed his mouth. Mewtwo saw doubt in Gengar's eyes, and he knew he could not continue unless he could erase this doubt.

Mewtwo removed his hand from Gengar's shoulder and held it out for Gengar to take.

"Trust me. I'm telling the truth. I would _never_ want to hurt you."

Gengar hesitated. There was still some doubt in his eyes, so Mewtwo pressed on.

"Trust me." he repeated.

Gengar slowly took Mewtwo's proffered hand. Mewtwo gave a grin as he pulled Gengar to his feet. Gengar looked up shyly at Mewtwo.

"Do you really think we can find out what happened?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Mewtwo kneeled back down so that Gengar's eyes were level with his.

"I know that we can find out what happened, but I'm going to need your help at some point." As he said this, he glanced out the windows that lined the opposite wall. The approaching dawn had lightened the sky to a beautiful blue, with gold lining the eastern horizon.

"Anything, Mewtwo! Anything at all to help," Gengar said, the note of desperation suggesting that he desired repentance for his actions, even though he wasn't responsible for them.

"Okay," Mewtwo started, "what we're going to do is—"

But the rest of his sentence was drowned out by a loud rumbling, almost like a freight train was passing. Both turned their heads to the far corner of the room where the sound was originating.

The walls in the corner were rapidly cracking, spreading and crisscrossing across the surface. Then, the corner completely collapsed, taking the ceiling directly above with it.

But it didn't stop there. The ceiling continued to fall, quickly spreading and approaching the two as they stared transfixed at what was happening. Then Mewtwo's senses finally kicked in; if they remained in this room, they would be crushed by the falling rubble.

"Oh sh—MOVE! NOW!" Mewtwo bellowed. He sprung up from the ground and fled for the door, Gengar hot on his heels.

Mewtwo stopped for only a fraction of a second to thrust open the door and run into the unlit hallway. His mind on autopilot, he conjured another luminous ball of energy and bolted to the right, knowing that the staircase would take too long to escape. If they had to jump, he knew what to do.

The thunderous noise of the falling ceiling pursued them through the hallway. Mewtwo's body was going into overdrive as he moved faster than he ever thought possible.

A door that was ajar on the left suddenly became visible. Without thinking at all, he threw his shoulder into the door so hard that it bounced back off the wall it was framed in. He burst into the room to discover that it was lit by natural light pouring through the glassless window frames. He moved to these window frames and turned to Gengar, who had remained behind him the entire time.

"Gengar!" he shouted over the rumbling. "If we have to jump, do you trust me?"

Gengar looked terrified, but nodded vigorously in response. Mewtwo put one foot on the nearest sill, thankful that the frame was so low and so large as to permit his body to fit. He turned around and offered his hand to Gengar, who quickly took it. Mewtwo helped Gengar up to stand in the frame and shifted his gaze to the far wall, waiting for the cue to jump.

He didn't have to wait long. The wall he was eyeing cracked, then buckled under the falling ceiling, which cascaded into the room they were occupying. Waiting no longer, he looked into Gengar's eyes with determination.

"Okay! JUMP!"

They did it, both of them, just as the floor beneath them crumbled out of sight.

Because the two were so high up, Mewtwo had more time to complete his actions. He first used the energy still in his hand to surround Gengar with another protective sphere. After he ensured that Gengar was well-covered, he put his feet first, aimed a hand toward the ground, and braced for impact.

Mewtwo hit the earth hard, causing dust and leaves to race away from the point of impact. But because of his stance, he wasn't injured from the contact despite freefalling more than one hundred feet. He straightened up just as Gengar was deposited beside him. Gengar had been decelerated significantly by the energy sphere before reaching the ground, allowing him to safely travel the same distance that Mewtwo had. Gengar rose shakily to his feet, his breath quite shallow.

"Goodness me," he said in a quivering voice. He had a hand clutched to his chest as he tried to steady himself. The rumbling had ceased from high above them, and white dust was beginning to settle around them like snow. "What was that all about?"

"I'm not sure," Mewtwo said, starting to walk along what was still standing of the tower and motioning for Gengar to follow, "but I'll have to explain later. We don't have time right now."

"Why not?" asked Gengar, falling in step beside Mewtwo.

"We need to get back to Ether Valley as soon as possible," he said, glancing down at Gengar, "and you need to come with me."

Gengar nodded and said, "Right, of course, but why are we going to Ether Valley?"

"I'll explain later," Mewtwo said shortly.

They rounded the corner of the tower and nearly tripped over piles of cinder blocks and concrete.

"What the—?"

Mewtwo's head snapped upward to look at the Pokémon Tower.

The top three floors of the tower had collapsed entirely. Some portions had fallen further, creating a gaping hole into the other floors. The concrete columns that supported the building on the upper levels were either severely cracked, partially destroyed to reveal the steel reinforcement, or simply missing. The structural integrity of the building was undoubtedly compromised.

Not long after observing this, Mewtwo heard a commotion behind him. He turned to see the Pokémon Center ablaze with light. Shadows were flurrying about inside.

"We can't stay here," Mewtwo said in a hushed voice. "It might—awkward questions…" he mumbled. He turned to Gengar and said quietly, "Gengar, we're going to teleport. Are you ready?"

"Yes," Gengar whispered.

"Give me your hand, please," Mewtwo said, holding out his own. Gengar took it.

Mewtwo closed his eyes and concentrated every particle of his mind on the Ether Valley Pokémon Center. Praying that this would work, Mewtwo took a deep breath, relaxed his muscles, and pictured Gengar and himself standing in front of the Pokémon Center.

A sudden warmth that started in the depths of his brain spread throughout his body, recalling a similar sensation from earlier when he had teleported with Alder and Alakazam. He heard a sharp intake of breath from Gengar and knew his teleportation effort was working properly.


	5. Tame the Evil

He waited a few seconds before reopening his eyes. They were standing on the outside of the Ether Valley Pokémon Center, looking into the lobby lit by the blueish natural light. The sounds of commotion had been replaced by a sleepy silence.

Mewtwo released Gengar's hand and approached the windows to peer in. The semi-lit lobby was a bit hard to see into compared to the outside, so he pressed his forehead against the glass. His eyes traveled over the tables, the fireplace in the middle of the opposite wall, and the couch, in which two figures were sitting.

Mewtwo looked more closely at these figures. Who else would be sitting in the dark lobby before the Center was even open?

Alder was sitting with his hands covering his eyes and staring at the ground. Alakazam was sitting awkwardly on the couch, sort of in a half-upright pose, his elbow on the armrest and head in his hand. He seemed to be staring absently at the wall opposite, not moving a muscle.

Mewtwo raised his hand, hesitated, and then used his knuckles to knock on the glass.

Alakazam turned his head to look at what had made the noise. Upon catching sight of Mewtwo, he sat up slightly, apparently not entirely sure of what he was seeing. He nudged Alder as he sprung up from the couch, vaulted the low coffee table, and ran to the front door to unlock it.

Alakazam pushed the door open wide as Mewtwo approached the threshold. Mewtwo looked into Alakazam's face, which was weighted with anxiety.

_How did it go?_ were his first words. _Did you succeed?_

Mewtwo nodded in response. _ Yes, all went well. Actually, I think it went better than expected._

As if on cue, Gengar, who was hovering uncertainly in the background, asked, "Are we going to go inside?"

Naturally, Alakazam's attention was drawn. Upon catching sight of Gengar, Alakazam automatically took a step back and bumped into Alder, who had just appeared at the doorway.

"Ouch! Do watch where you're going, Alakazam!" He turned to Mewtwo, saw Gengar, and, like Alakazam, reacted automatically. He gasped just as Alakazam asked,_ How did he get here? Did you bring him, Mewtwo?_

Feeling that if was rather rude to treat Gengar like this, Mewtwo spoke up.

"He is here at my invitation. I trust that you two will allow me, and help me, to explain everything. Now, if you let us inside, I can begin."

A red flush swelled in Alakazam's and Alder's face, both looking flustered in response to their own behavior. They stood back from the doorframe to let Mewtwo and Gengar enter. They all wove their way to the chairs in front of the fireplace and took a seat. Gengar was looking around the lobby with interest, inspecting the glass ceiling and the comforts the lobby had to offer as he sat down. Alakazam and Alder resumed their seats on the couch while Mewtwo occupied a recliner opposite the fireplace.

For some time, nobody spoke. Everyone in that informal circle was lost in their own thoughts as the lobby slowly lightened around them. Dawn was approaching.

Mewtwo decided to break the silence with his own question. He looked at Alder and asked, "So how's Allen? Did you guys make it here okay?"

Alder's face fell in response to the question.

"Yes, we did make it here okay. But actually being okay was a different story." He took a deep breath and continued in a slightly flattened voice. "Of course, the doors were locked, so we had to try and attract the attention of somebody from inside. That took a while. By the time Nurse Joy unlocked the front doors, Allen had fainted in our arms."

"Wait," Mewtwo interrupted, "couldn't you just unlock the door yourself? Alakazam was able to do so earlier, right?"

Alder shook his head. "Unlocking the door ourselves would be quite as rude as kicking down the same door. We preferred to be polite."

Mewtwo bit his lip, fighting down a retort to these words. If it was himself instead of Alder that was carrying a dying friend, he would have likely smashed in the windows rather than wait for the door to unlock. Instead, he held his tongue.

"I understand," Mewtwo said with a trace of dismay. "As you were saying…"

Alder sat a little straighter and continued.

"Well, you know what state he was in; blood everywhere and trailing it wherever we walked, a broken leg, looking like a victim of a mugging—it was a wonder that Nurse Joy didn't faint. But she kept her cool and had him rushed to the Intensive Care Unit. Nurse Joy told us that it's a miracle he's alive."

Mewtwo chanced a half-glance in Gengar's direction. The latter shifted uncomfortably in his seat at these words. His eyes had averted from Alder's and instead were staring at the coffee table that sat in front of all four of them.

"Is he there now?" Mewtwo asked.

Alder nodded and added, "But Nurse Joy said to us that he is not to have visitors for at least a couple hours. He should gain some of his strength back before anything else."

"Of course," Mewtwo said, inclining his head in Alder's direction. "So he's okay?"

"More or less," Alder replied with a sad smile on his face.

"Good. I only hope that I won't be responsible for anything else going wrong today."

Mewtwo glanced again at Gengar. He could see a good deal of guilt in his eyes. He felt that the courteous thing to do was to shift the conversation topic instead of let Gengar stew in his own guilt, but the things to talk about all weighed heavily on the most recent events.

Unfortunately, it was Alder that took the lead into this undesirable topic. He leaned forward in his chair toward Mewtwo and said in a somewhat hushed voice, "Mewtwo, what happened after we left with Allen?"

He had a feeling that this question was coming, but it didn't prevent the heat that rose to his face in response. Retelling the story would never allow Alder and Alakazam to capture the full effects of what really happened; the battle against Gengar, the awful effects that confusion had on him, the collapse of the ceiling, jumping from a ten story building…

With a deep sigh, Mewtwo recounted what had happened.

One thing that Mewtwo immediately registered was how strange it was to tell them about his and Gengar's conversation and subsequent battle. Poor Gengar had to listen to what he said and did to the one that was talking about it. Mewtwo could see his bottom lip quivering and his eyes begin to glaze. Of course, Gengar was unaware of what had happened, but remorse was surfacing in his gaze. Mewtwo could not remember feeling more pity for anyone else.

By the time Mewtwo had reached the part where Gengar broke down under the influence of _Confusion_, Gengar had covered his face with his hands. Silent tears were pouring through his fingers, his breaths coming very jerkily. Mewtwo sat motionless, at a loss of what to say or do. He felt like his insides had been replaced with lead while a sense of sorrow crept through his body. All he could do was sit there.

Finally, Alder spoke up.

"Gengar, look at me."

Very slowly, Gengar raised his head to look across the table and into Alder's eyes.

"The actions you performed yesterday and this morning do not justify your character. Based off of what Mewtwo has told us, it seems that you have not been responsible for your actions since you've lost your memory."

As he said this, he glanced at Mewtwo and met his eyes. Mewtwo knew that Alder was thinking back to yesterday evening, when he learned about his role as a tool of destruction in the mysterious organization.

"By the same reasoning," Alder continued, "I believe that you had been brainwashed to perform tasks that you would never wish to do under normal circumstances. But by using Confusion, Mewtwo was able to successfully break through and release your true character."

Gengar gave a watery smile and turned to Mewtwo.

"You saved me from being a horrible being. How can I ever repay you?"

Mewtwo was never going to consider a serious repayment, but he remembered the atrocities that Gengar had committed under the influence of the brainwashing. How many other crimes had he committed in fifteen years? How could he help him earn redemption?

Mewtwo chose his words carefully.

"It's not me that you need to repay," he said slowly, "it's yourself. Your last fifteen years have been ruled by something far outside of your control. To be honest, my history hasn't exactly been clean either. But I think that, with some help, we can erase that bad reputation and replace it with something more stellar."

With this proposition, Gengar fully invested his trust into Mewtwo.

"What do you have in mind?" Gengar questioned.

"In a few hours," Mewtwo began, "let's meet in the center of the Town Square. It will be easier to explain my solution in precise detail there. Alakazam, Alder, you two are also invited to join."

Alakazam and Alder looked puzzled, but nodded accordingly. Mewtwo turned his gaze towards the ticking clock above the reception desk of the Pokémon Center. The clock's hand paced at the rate of a steady heartbeat, an almost hypnotic noise. It reminded Mewtwo how early it was, and how even if the world crumbles before him, the clock will continue to tick.

"It's still quite early," Mewtwo muttered to himself. "I'm going to wait and see Allen before heading off to the Square."

"Hold on," Alder said quickly, "You can't go tearing off the ICU just yet. Nurse Joy said to leave Allen be for at least a few hours to recuperate."

Mewtwo had actually risen from his chair and was halfway to a standing pose before freezing in response. Of course—how could have he forgotten so quickly? Alder himself had said the same thing just minutes before.

"Right…" Mewtwo said quietly, returning to his seat. "I guess I'll have to wait for a bit…"

"Yeah," Alder said, "we can all see Allen later. Let's—let's have some breakfast meanwhile. It's 7:14 right now."

This was true; the clock read precisely the same time. As they all turned to look, the first rays of sunlight shone into the Pokémon Center, coloring the walls a bright copper. Only when Mewtwo saw this did he realize that he'd already been awake for three hours, and he felt curiously weak and sleepy when the thought drifted across his mind. Maybe he just needed some more rest.

But he couldn't right now; there was just so much to do in response to all of these events. They still had to clean up the town square from those rogue Pokémon, not to mention his devastating attack in the same area. He had to check up on the same three Pokémon at some point before they were discharged from the Center; maybe he could do this before going to the square. There was just too much to do.

His head was nodding backwards into the recliner as he felt like he was sinking into the warmth of the cushions.

Maybe he did…

Just need…

Some sleep...

From what seemed like way far away, he heard Alder's voice echo,

"Ah, let him be. He needs some sleep anyway."


	6. Fracture

Gengar was staring at the clock that Alder had mentioned. Indeed, it said 7:14; not to mention, he was feeling a bit hungry as well.

"Yeah, let's get some breakfast," Gengar started as he looked around the lobby. "Where—?"

Alder stood up along with Alakazam and answered the unasked question.

"The lobby serves breakfast in the morning, so we can all stay here."

"Ah!" Gengar said, "That's great! So we're eating now?"

Alder nodded. Gengar glanced over to Mewtwo, whom, he just now noticed, had not risen but was instead dozing gently in his chair. His face was relaxed, arms resting comfortably on the armrests. He looked at ease.

Alder followed Gengar's gaze and looked down upon Mewtwo as well.

"Ah, let him be. He needs some sleep anyway."

Gengar acknowledged Alder's comment, and turned away from Mewtwo. He proceeded to follow Alder and Alakazam towards the left side of the lobby, where a small table set for four sat among others like it. As they sat down, Gengar continued to observe the small details around him. The table's wooden structure was carved with rigid patterns along the edge. Below the table, a floor tiled coffee brown stretched across the dining area. Sunlight crept onto the table, rendering each tiny scratch visible to the eye. Placemats were also gently placed in accordance to seating. The design of the placemats unveiled an arrangement of the different types of Pokéballs. Gengar carefully studied each of the Pokéballs' designs, noticing each splash of color.

Alder and Alakazam began to track Gengar's observances. The more they watched Gengar glance about, the more unsettling his actions appeared. His pupils contracted as his eyes darted about the lobby, apprehension becoming more and more pronounced as the seconds passed by.

"Gengar, are you all right?" Alder asked.

Gengar did not respond, but continued to look around almost with a desperate fervor. Faster and faster his eyes roved around the room, paying attention to neither Alder nor Alakazam. Everything he saw was starting to become hazed and blurred. The objects melted together into one mess of color, the rising sun dominating the scene with its intense brightness. Gengar started to panic; what was going on?

Just when the terror mounting in his chest reached a peak, the object stood out in distinct contrast to the mess he saw.

It was a stone, set upon the fireplace mantel. The stone was like a marble, glimmering a beautiful coral as it caught the morning sunshine.

And then his brain disengaged.

Everything went black. The lobby, the tables, everything disappeared. He was falling down through the icy blackness. There was nothing… nothing at all.

"Where did you find them?"

"They were traveling together in the Viridian Forest."

"Did they have anything on them?"

"Just some food and supplies."

"Anything else?"

"Only this, sir."

A pause.

"Very well. Alert me when they have woken up."

"Yes, sir."

His head felt very groggy. The speech he heard was traveling slowly from his ears to his brain. It felt like time was going in slow motion.

"Oh, and sir?"

"Yes?"

"Will you be needing my assistance once the proceedings have begun?"

"Oh yes. I'll be needing some help with these two."

It was all so confusing. His brain felt like somebody had beaten it about in his skull. A dull thudding was persisting on his bruised cheekbone, adding to his already very uncomfortable position. The cold, hard ground beneath him had stiffened his body, making it very hard to move his limbs.

He opened his eyes blearily.

Pikachu was on the ground very close by. There was a large slash mark running down her back, from which blood was still flowing. It had puddled on the ground where she was laying.

Slowly, she rolled over to face him. The first words out of her mouth were, "Where are we, Clefable?"

Clefable looked up at the ceiling. It was unfinished, where steel I-beams crisscrossed across the entire roof for as far as the eye could see. Fluorescent lights spanned in much the same fashion. They seemed to be in some sort of warehouse.

"I don't know," he whispered.

He thought back to what seemed like ages ago. They were traveling, and they had discovered something very odd…

"Hey!" a voice shouted close by. "They seem to be conscious."

Clefable watched as a dark figure approached. The light—or lack thereof—concealed the figure in a burly silhouette. Only its eyes were visible, glowing white and bright. They were narrowed in calculation as the strange figure inspected the two on the ground. For a moment, all was silent.

"You two are coming with me."

Instantly, Clefable was lifted off his feet. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the same thing happen to Pikachu. She didn't seem to have any means of support other than a strange purple glow around her figure.

As they were carried off, Clefable shot Pikachu a glance that said, _Just stay calm. They'll have to explain things at some point. _Pikachu gave a small nod in response.

They were moved through the warehouse, passing by aisles of worn out boxes. The boxes were marked for shipment to the "Silph Co." Silph Company… that name had been exploding in popularity recently. Their research in Pokémon technology far surpassed that of other companies.

Why were they here? What did they have to do with such an advanced company like Silph?

After a few more minutes of being carried across the warehouse, Clefable and Pikachu were roughly dropped to the ground. They were now in a much smaller area; a room with nothing except a table and chairs.

Clefable's misgivings increased. This room had an extremely foreboding atmosphere. The walls were colored steel gray as was the concrete floor, offering no warmth to the viewer. Only one object relieved the cold walls; a large mirror set the length of the wall adjacent to the door.

Clefable turned quickly to Pikachu. She had a look of pure terror, precisely reflecting how he felt. He knew they were thinking exactly the same thing; this was an interrogation room!

Being deposited on the floor so abruptly, he could not see his captor in time, but he did catch a glimpse of a long, purple tail before the door was slammed with deliberate force.

Pikachu had not gotten up. Clefable rushed to kneel at her side, splattering a little blood in the pool that had already begun to collect. He leaned over and said desperately, "Pikachu! Are you all right?"

She groaned in response and looked up.

"Clefable… I… I can't…"

What was most alarming was that Pikachu spoke in barely more than a whisper. She seemed to be drained of all her strength.

Clefable readjusted her so that she was resting on her back. He took her head into his arm so that they could look into each other's eyes. Pikachu took a hold of Clefable's free hand.

"I can't feel my legs…"

Clefable's heart was thumping madly. He was paralyzed with fear as to what might happen.

"Don't worry, Pikachu," Clefable said in a trembling voice, "We're going to get out of here, okay?"

Pikachu redoubled her grip and stared straight into his eyes.

"I know we will."

Clefable remained by her side, trying to keep her as comfortable as possible. Her breathing was shallow, but surprisingly steady. The bleeding was slowing down as well.

"We're going to get out of here," Clefable repeated, more to reassure himself than anything.

Pikachu nodded slowly, maintaining a firm grip with his hand. The minutes dragged as the two were there on the ground, unable to do anything else out of fear as to what was waiting for them.

The door to the room opened so suddenly and quickly that it ricocheted straight off the wall. Clefable had no time to turn around before being blown away into the opposite wall. Nothing had touched him except an unexplainably powerful force. The contact with the wall was strong enough to temporarily daze and double his vision. Through the confusion, he could see the yellow blur that was Pikachu lay motionless on the ground.

Clefable stumbled his way towards her, only to be taken aback by the same force. Looking towards the direction of the force, that same figure stood before them. Those cold eyes, white as marble, looked straight into Clefable's eyes.

"It's time we bring up the subject at hand."

Clefable cringed at the harsh, crisp words spoken.

"What…" Clefable began, "what do you mean?"

These words were met by yet another intense force, causing Clefable to lose the strength to remain standing. He lay in a crumpled heap as the voice spoke again.

"I'm asking the questions, and for the sake of you and your partner, I hope the answers are favorable."

Clefable watched the figure in silence, at a loss of what to say. The dark figure calmly moved into light's view, revealing a being even more frightening than before that stood at a towering height greater than six feet. He looked like a Pokémon, but by far the strangest he had ever seen; more like a cross between a human and some sort of alien. His skin was white, tinged with just a touch of lavender. Something that looked like armor fused with his chest, connected to the base of his skull with an appendage separate from his neck. His tail was most peculiar, starting on his front and running behind him.

Behind this bizarre being, another person had joined the room. This man was wearing a crisp suit and tie. His black hair was quite close-cropped and an aggressive look was on his face.

"You may be wondering why you two are here. However, you must think about whether you want the true answer. There is an operation of utmost priority taking place; who knows what could happen if all is revealed to those who refuse to cooperate?"

Pikachu and Clefable remained silent, knowing better than to try and respond.

"Now, there are important questions that we are going to ask you. Answer swiftly and honestly, and your injuries will be minimal."

Glancing at each other with a fearful look, Pikachu and Clefable noted the situation they were in, and turned back to the two before them.

"Take a seat."

Clefable made his way over to Pikachu and carried her towards the table. He gingerly deposited her in one of several folding chairs placed nearest them. He then took a seat for himself right next to Pikachu and directed his attention to the strange Pokémon. The second man had joined by his side as both sat down opposite the table.

"First," the Pokémon said, "you will address me as 'Mewtwo' and my colleague as—"

"Excuse me?" the man said in affronted tones, "I believe _you're_ my colleague."

Mewtwo raised his eyebrows in surprise. He gestured towards Clefable and Pikachu, clearly insisting that the man continue.

He leaned forward across the table and spoke directly to Clefable.

"My name is Giovanni."

His words cut as smoothly as a blade, causing Clefable to flinch backwards.

"You two had something very useful to us, recovered only a short time ago. Are you aware of that?"

A confused look filled the faces of Pikachu and Clefable.

"No, sir," Clefable said, trying not to blink as he stared straight into Giovanni's eyes.

He pulled something from inside his suit jacket and held it up to the light. The object caught the light and reflected it in many different directions, causing a dazzling effect. It was a thick bracelet, colored gunmetal gray, with a marble-sized object set in the bracelet. The marble-like object seemed to shimmer dully a rainbow of colors not caused by the light in the room, but as if the object itself was glowing.

"This," he began, "was developed for a very significant reason. It was designed to work in conjunction with that of a natural stone. A stone that pulses with energy, even more powerful than that of thunder, water, or fire. Our sources have led us to the fact that you two had uncovered this stone. Now, let us keep this simple. How did you find it?"

Clefable's jaw dropped with disbelief. A stone with greater power than that of an evolutionary stone? How was that possible?

He thought back to when he and Pikachu were traversing through a dark ravine. They had constantly been exploring new areas; mountains, caves, forests, whatever came across their path. This ravine, however, had mystified them. As they traveled deeper within, their flashlights roaming, sights of crystallized rocks reflected all around them. "A souvenir," Pikachu had mentioned to Clefable, picking up a beautiful coral-colored stone. The stone was breath-taking, yes, but that powerful? At that time, the stone seemed to just be a rock. Nothing more than aesthetically pleasing.

Clefable sat in silence, choosing his words carefully before speaking.

"We were in a cave, surrounded by hundreds of different types of rocks. We just chose one randomly as a souvenir of our adventure. The color was warm and comforting, so we decided on that stone. There was nothing else to it."

Giovanni gave a displeasing glare before he spoke.

"Which cave?"

"There's a ravine near the Seafoam Islands. It's a very isolated area, so we figured it would be an exciting place to explore."

"That stone is not just one of hundreds of rocks. That stone manifests energy that is unimaginable. With the right mind, the world can be reshaped, re-established, and rotated in the right direction. You really expect me to believe that you two just picked up this stone as nothing more than a souvenir?"

This injustice stung Clefable, and he uttered a retort before he could stop what had flared up so suddenly.

"What else do you want other than the truth!?" he yelled.

Instantly, a searing pain raced across his right cheek and knocked him off his chair. He let out a gasp of surprise in response. He touched his hand to his cheek to discover that warm, sticky blood was running down his face.

The being called Mewtwo was upon Clefable before the latter could look up. Mewtwo grabbed Clefable by the back of the neck and slammed him into the vacated chair. Giovanni had not reacted at all to these displays of brutality but instead continued as if nothing had happened.

"Do not play games with us," he said quietly, eyes boring into Clefable's. "There is only the one island with underground caverns, and there have been no recorded observations of these stones."

"It was another island!" Clefable shouted, beginning to panic, "We found another island with underground caverns unconnected to those already discovered!"

"Such lies…" Giovanni hissed.

Clefable was met with yet another blow to the face, this time head on. He went tumbling backwards along with his chair. From the floor, he could see Pikachu's face, whose head was resting against the table. A single tear ran from her eye. Clefable could tell that Pikachu was desperate to intervene, but, given her condition, could only watch her best friend get beaten in response to this interrogation.

"Perhaps you can shed some light, Pikachu," Mewtwo whispered. Clefable's stomach gave a horrible jolt as he watched Pikachu look away from him and towards the questioner. Clefable tried to get up, but the recent blow had impaired his balance and forced him to stay on the ground.

"Give us the truth, and you walk. Fail to do so, and… well…" Giovanni said as his sentence trailed off.

"Consider your position," Mewtwo supplemented.

Pikachu's heavy, ragged breaths were now center attention. Her words stumbling, she answered.

"There's n—nothing more I c—can say... that Clefable hasn't. If y—you do not believe us, y—you are only harm—harming your own g—goals."

Giovanni's face soured in response to these words. He sighed deeply.

"Very well..." he breathed. There was no pity in his gaze.

"On your own head be it."

Mewtwo began to charge a pulse, aimed directly at Pikachu. Unable to move, she hopelessly stared into what would be her demise.

"No… No… Please…" Clefable gasped, struggling desperately to regain some strength.

"It really is a shame," Mewtwo commented. "There was a moment I thought that maybe you two would have been useful to us. But that's what happens when we rely on Pokémon who rummage through this piece of garbage known as this world. Thinking that there is beauty in this corrupt world? What a joke. It'll be a pleasure to eradicate dreamers like you two."

"No… Stop… I—don't want…" Clefable continued to beg. "Don't touch her. Even if you destroy me, just—please… leave Pikachu alone. Let her go free."

Mewtwo's energy pulse grew larger and more powerful. At this point, Giovanni began to take his leave.

"Mewtwo, I leave this situation to you. I have more pressing matters to attend to."

Mewtwo nodded, and faced Pikachu once again.

"Wait your turn, Clefable," Mewtwo noted back to Clefable's previous comment. "It's much easier to do this one at a time."

"S—stop! No… I'll do anything! Just don't… don't do it—please!" Clefable screamed a desperate, horrific cry.

He began to slowly trudge towards Pikachu, ignoring the pain of his injuries. With every step, Clefable continued to open more wounds and lose more blood. None of that mattered. He had to reach for her in time. Pikachu, his best friend, his partner, he couldn't lose her now. After everything they've gone through, he couldn't watch her smiling face vanish before his eyes.

His strength began to pick up.

_Almost there_, he thought with a spark of hope. Pikachu turned towards Clefable, smiling. Just his attempt to make it to her was enough. Pikachu reached out her shaking hand towards him, her eyes glistening with the same look they've always had. Clefable reached with everything he had to grab her hand; his fingertips were millimeters away from hers. She mouthed three words to him and smiled, only to be hit by the fatal strike of Mewtwo.

Instantly, redness clouded Clefable's vision, and he was blown off his feet. Blindly, Clefable continued to shout for Pikachu. He was so close, his hands almost to hers, he just needed to grab her hand. He threw himself to the area where Pikachu previously lay. Nothing remained except a large pool of blood.

_I… I just can't see where she went,_ Clefable thought to himself. _There's too much blood for me to see clearly. She must have just been thrown to the other side of the room._

Clefable began to mentally break down. He manically moved around the room. Mewtwo watched as Clefable scrambled through the pool of blood searching for what was no longer there.

It was time to end it all.

Mewtwo charged up another pulse, just as powerful as before, and hit Clefable. The results were devastating, shattering every piece of his body in the blink of an eye. In his final moments, he thought back to what Pikachu had mouthed to him.

"Life is beautiful."

Gengar was lying flat on the ground. Someone was repeatedly tapping his forehead, trying to get him to wake. But he felt out of reach from any of his surroundings.

He could not believe what he had just gone through. It was just too much to know that the Pokémon who had saved him from certain death doubly acted as his murderer. He felt betrayed, stabbed in the back by the friend he barely knew.

Gengar sat up so quickly that the two individuals kneeling by him took a hasty step backwards. He swiveled to the left in time to see Mewtwo jerk his head out of a doze. Judging from the intense fear on his face, he had just been in the same place as Gengar.

Gengar was not aware of getting to his feet, nor was he aware that he was charging full speed at Mewtwo. Mewtwo could not react, he would not react, and thus remained in his chair, unable to do anything. In next to no time, Gengar was upon him.

He began punching every bit of Mewtwo he could reach. Gengar didn't want to battle. He wanted to attack; to kill. He bruised his knuckles against Mewtwo's jaw, but he didn't care. He wanted to make the murderer pay for his deeds. He wanted him to feel the pain the he had. He wanted to avenge his dearest companion, who could not and would not receive another chance at life. He longed to demolish this pitiful excuse of a Pokémon and make him pay…

"Stop—stop! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

The cry came not from Mewtwo, but from behind. Gengar felt an invisible force yank him off of Mewtwo and thrust him to the ground. He jumped to his feet and tried to resume his attack, but a second force made him take several steps back. Something had sprung between the two and prevented Gengar from moving any closer.

He turned and saw Alakazam with his hand outstretched and his eyes glowing. Alder stood next to him and was completely beside himself with anger.

"_What was that about?"_ Alder yelled. "What made you act like that, Gengar?"

Mewtwo had not responded at all to these events. His face was bruised from Gengar's punches and his lip was bleeding. His eyes had welled up in tears as his and Gengar's gazes met, but Gengar didn't care. He still wanted to destroy that vile, heinous Pokémon staring back at him.

"This being—" Gengar breathed as he pointed a shaking finger directly at Mewtwo, "he killed me and my best friend fifteen years ago for no good reason. He is the reason I walk this earth as a ghost. He is the reason I've been forced to do atrocious deeds for over a decade!"

Alder and Alakazam stood in shock, but turned back to Mewtwo. Mewtwo only turned his face away, refusing to look them in the eye. Quietly, he mumbled,

"He's… right. Yet again, I've caused others pain. Every time I feel as though I'm making progress, a reminder of the past always slaps its way back into my life. He's absolutely right."

"Let's not forget," Alder began, "You are not the only one with a regrettable past." Alder faced Gengar, "Controlled or not, Gengar, you've committed quite the sins yourself."

"I lost my _life _because of him!" Gengar seethed, "I never intentionally tried to destroy the innocent, or even harm a single being on my own free will. Any of my sins are marred with guilt and remorse. _He _could care less about anything other than himself!" Gengar lunged toward Mewtwo once again, but Alakazam's shield stopped him in his tracks.

_Enough. You both need to calm yourselves right now, and think. _

Gengar gritted his teeth, but took a minute to stop. Mewtwo, still hopelessly turned away, mumbled, "I'm done. I'll see you guys later."

Mewtwo rose from his seat and walked towards the double doors leading to the back halls of the Pokémon Center. His head was hanging, tears still running down his face. He gave a hearty sniff as he disappeared from view.

For a moment, Gengar wasn't much fussed to see Mewtwo go, but he soon caught Alder and Alakazam's faces. They had resumed the look they had right after Gengar attacked Mewtwo. Looking daggers, Alder pointed to where Mewtwo had disappeared, clearly indicating for Gengar to follow. Gengar had opened his mouth angrily, but stopped when he saw Alakazam and remembered what he had said.

_Calm yourself… and think._

Gengar gritted his teeth, turned on his heel, and marched out of the lobby after Mewtwo. He knew where he had gone and he didn't need any hints to get there.

Gengar only had to stomp his way a short distance before he turned into the ICU. Sure enough, Mewtwo had drawn up a chair beside Allen's bed and was staring absently into his heavily scarred face. The sight was unexpected and quite jarring. In turn, Gengar felt some of his anger ebb away.

For a moment, there was silence. Then, Gengar began to speak.

"Mewtwo… I need you to listen to me."

Mewtwo turned his head in response, but his eyes still felt aloof.

"There's no getting around that you are a monster. That is just something that needs to be accepted. However, you are a monster who is trying to change, and is changing. Fifteen years have passed. Moving on is difficult... I mean, I still haven't moved on. But, you have taken the steps towards moving on, and you are succeeding. The Mewtwo I witnessed fifteen years ago, as appalling as it is to remember, is not the current you."

Mewtwo silently focused on Gengar, listening more carefully.

"Now," Gengar continued, "I will not forgive you. The future is still untold, but I will never forget the events of our past. I will not forgive the actions that ripped me into pieces, both mentally and physically. And you must not forget, either; you must keep these memories deep within your heart, and shape your new character with these memories in mind. This is necessary not just for your sake, but for Allen's, Alder's, Alakazam's, and everyone you care for."

Mewtwo glanced at Allen's ruined face and, just as quickly, turned back to Gengar.

"So you're going to preach to me about 'moving on' and all that crap while you haven't even accounted for helping to destroy half the town square, nearly killing my friend, and God knows what else you've done? Sounds a bit hypocritical, if you ask me."

Gengar's eyes narrowed in anger as he said, "Did you forget about how I've been brainwashed to do those things already?"

Mewtwo rose to his feet very slowly and turned his attention to Gengar. Given his height, this was quite an impressive move.

"I'm sorry to hear about your woes," he breathed in a voice thick with rage, "I'm _sure_ that your mischief is far more difficult to get over than murder, death, and destruction."

Gengar made a furious step forward as Mewtwo raised his fists, but another voice caused them to stop.

"That's enough."

Alder and Alakazam were standing in the doorway, both looking distinctly cross.

"This is not the time to hold a pity contest. Now is when we forgive each other and start anew with a clean slate. And I'm not asking you guys to forgive each other; I'm making you forgive each other."

Neither Pokémon was stupid enough to pick a fight under Alder's nose, nor were they foolish enough to disobey his order. Gengar looked right into Mewtwo's eyes and expected the absolute worst, but something vanished when their gazes locked.

The anger had evaporated, the resentment was wiped, and the sour memories of the past had gone. Gengar heard Mewtwo's voice, but the latter's mouth had not moved.

_Alder's right. There's no point in arguing this topic. Why bother fighting over who had it worse? Besides, I'm sure that if we all work together, our notoriety will be cleared and nobody will think the worst of us._

Now that Gengar's head was no longer clouded by reckless rage, the words he heard made total sense.

Gengar moved forward once again, but extended his hand first. Mewtwo took Gengar's hand into his own and smiled a wide smile.


	7. The Secret

There was no doubt about it; this handshake with Gengar was one hundred percent genuine. Gengar had returned the smile with his own, along with a nod of his head.

"Here," Mewtwo started, "why don't you all pull up chairs so we can talk?" He gestured to the immediate area around him.

Alder stepped forward and spoke up.

"If we're going to talk, I suggest we take it back to the lobby. I don't think we should've been here in the first place, because Allen—"

Alder was interrupted by none other than the one he was talking about, who said, "I'm glad that you two have made up, but does anybody mind explaining what's been going on?"

All four of them whipped around to face Allen, who was observing them all with a bemused expression on his face. Gengar wasted no time in making himself heard by saying, "Allen, I can't tell you how sorry I am to have landed you here. I was brainwashed to have done those terrible things to you, and I would never do that in my proper state of mind—right, Mewtwo?"

Mewtwo nodded his head vigorously and added, "He's speaking the truth. I can certainly vouch for that."

Allen frowned and asked, "Then why is your face all marked up? Did you get into a fistfight or something?"

Mewtwo reached for his face and felt these recently acquired bruises. In all honesty, he felt that this pain was only a small repayment to what he truly deserved. Just thinking about what he did—or rather, what his past self did—was enough to sicken himself to the stomach, along with making him wish that Gengar were still beating him up. He looked at Gengar, who was staring guiltily at his swollen knuckles, and felt that the latter's actions were justified.

"Well," Mewtwo started hesitantly, "that's actually what we made up over. And frankly, I would've done the same thing." He gave a small, reassuring smile to Gengar as he said this, which was returned rather shiftily.

"Why?" Allen asked curiously, "What happened?"

Mewtwo and Gengar glanced concernedly at each other. How could they present the information in a tactful fashion?

"Let's tell him together," Gengar said, "it'll be better that way."

Mewtwo breathed a sigh of relief. He was thankful that Allen didn't have to hear just one side, for the story told as such was sure to at least generate some hard feelings.

After the others had drawn up chairs of their own, the two told the story from beginning to end while filling in the holes in each other's tales. Their audience was rapt with attention, drinking in every detail. Allen was reacting unusually strongly to the story; while Alder and Alakazam simply had expressions of mild shock, Allen seemed to be taking it directly to heart. He looked to be on the verge of tears.

When they had finished, nobody spoke for quite some time. Mewtwo had hung his head and was staring at the ground, his mind buzzing. The silence was worse to hear than the two's story had been. It pressed in on Mewtwo's thoughts, driving everything else out of his mind. He was worried that he would be judged, worried that this would simply reverse everything he had done since his awakening. He was scared for the silence to break.

Finally, Allen said in a trembling voice, "I c-can't believe you b-both had to go through that. It must've b-been terrible to witness again."

Mewtwo nodded, still hanging his head, and he sensed rather than saw Gengar doing the same.

"B-but knowing that you two m-made up, that really shows the marks of a t-true friendship." Mewtwo looked up at Allen, his muscles clenched from nerves and from what he had just heard. Allen's voice strengthened as he continued, "You two just set aside a major hurdle. T-to see you two forgive each other like that makes me so happy to know that we're all in good hands."

Mewtwo could hardly believe what he was hearing as what seemed like a balloon was swelling with joy inside of him. To know that he had gained his friend's trust, along with the acceptance of what he was sure could've been his greatest rival, made him smile from ear to ear.

"I will do everything in my power to make sure we're all in good hands," Mewtwo said to everyone in the room. Almost simultaneously, they all beamed back at him.

This was the first step. The first step had finally been taken, and it left him with an oddly light feeling, like he could do anything to his heart's content. It was wonderful to have the trust of these four people around him, and he would never do anything to compromise it.

Gengar took over the conversation by stating his own question, which was directed to Allen.

"There's still one thing that I don't quite understand. That man, Giovanni, showed off the bracelet we talked about. He told us about how powerful it was, but we never figured out what purpose it served. Do you know anything about it based on our description?"

Allen leaned back thoughtfully.

"From what I've heard, the bracelet you describe sounds a lot like something we've recently been researching and developing back at the university. That's why I was at the library yesterday, Mewtwo," he said, inclining his head in his direction, "to research how we could alter both a Pokémon's physique and powers. It's called a Mega Ring, and we believe that it will revolutionize Pokémon battles."

At these last words, an unexplainable leap occurred in Mewtwo's chest along with the feeling that something large and beastly was trying to claw out of Mewtwo's body. It took a moment to realize that this beast was roaring its disapproval at Allen's words and that this being was in fact his own feelings. He decided to cut into the conversation, for he was scared that he would let his emotions get carried away and lead to him doing something very stupid.

"Allen, I don't think that would be a good idea," Mewtwo said quickly.

Predictably, Allen responded with a puzzled look and asked, "Why?"

Mewtwo spoke what had come to his mind the instant that beast rose in his chest by saying, "I mean, what if this Mega Ring came to fall into the wrong hands? What if they already had a strong Pokémon? What if they use it to take over? What if… what if nobody could stop them?" His last words trailed away and he looked straight into Allen's eyes.

Allen's face blanked out, and he knew that both of them were thinking of the same thing; a more powerful and more destructive version of himself, brought under control by sinister forces intent on nothing but domination. In other words, a recipe for disaster.

Allen attempted to recover.

"Well… the Mega Ring hasn't completed development yet, because we're still missing a key ingredient. But even if it were finished, I doubt it would become commercially available. We would have to test it first and get it approved for sale, along with patents, paperwork, and all that stuff. Then there's the consumer part, because the buyer would have to go through some stringent checks before purchasing such a powerful object. I mean, this ring would be very much sought after along with the fact that it's dangerous; I don't know if we'll even be able to sell it. It might just be a kept as a secret project once it's fully developed, just so nobody can steal these secrets."

The beast in Mewtwo's chest had gone quiet, but he still felt a bit uneasy.

"How did Giovanni manage to acquire a Mega Ring so long ago?" Mewtwo asked.

Allen shrugged and said, "I don't know how that could have happen, but I do know that the Silph Company had undertaken a similar project around that time. It was scrapped because nobody could find the proper way to supply the ring's power, nor would they have known how to use it. The Mega Ring was simply too advanced for their time." Allen frowned before continuing, "The University's research team is having similar problems, like I mentioned before. The power required seems to be from a stone, but no evolutionary stone has the ample power for the ring. It drives us crazy."

Mewtwo glanced around to see what the others thought of this. While Alder and Alakazam wore similar expressions of deep thought, Gengar had risen from his chair, said, "Excuse me for a moment," and walked right out of the room.

They all looked around at each other in confusion, clearly wondering where Gengar had gone. Mewtwo had barely said "Where d'you—?" before Gengar returned. One hand was clutching something, presumably a small object because Mewtwo couldn't see it otherwise.

Without a word, Gengar had leaned across Mewtwo and held his hand open for Allen to see. In the palm of his hand sat a small, marble-like object, colored a gorgeous coral hue. Though the room didn't have much natural light, the stone seemed to be shimmering, like sunlight was reflecting off of it. But the longer he looked at it, the more the stone seemed to be not reflecting light, but emanating light. It was a very strange sight to see.

Allen looked stunned as he took the stone and turned it over in his hands. He began mumbling almost inaudibly to himself, although Mewtwo caught words like "no way" and "impossible!"

Allen looked up at Gengar and asked, "Where did you find this?"

"Fifteen years ago." Gengar said simply. "My friend Pikachu and I had been exploring caverns by the Seafoam Islands when we found it, along with hundreds like it. We took it as a souvenir, but never dreamed that it was such a desirable object. We were captured, hauled in for questioning, and… well…" Gengar lowered his head moodily when he seemed unable to find the right words.

"But how did you have it so readily available?"

"Saw it," Gengar said, "right there on the mantelpiece in the lobby before Mewtwo and I went to that awful place."

"Wait a second," Mewtwo said quickly, "what does this stone have to do with the Mega Ring?"

Allen raised his eyes from the stone and gave Mewtwo an incredulous look.

"It has everything to do with the Mega Ring! This stone is a Mega Stone, the key to unlock the powers that the Mega Ring has to offer!"

Mewtwo felt his jaw drop.

"But how did that very same stone come to get here? Surely such a powerful stone would be guarded somehow?"

Clearly thinking hard, Allen said slowly, "There are very few people that know about the Mega Ring's potentials, much less the combination of Ring and Stone. I suppose whoever found it didn't know about the stone and, like Gengar and Pikachu, just took it for the aesthetic appeal."

The thought of accidentally picking up a stone so powerful was mind boggling, but the main question still lingered in the air; what was the next step? With such an object in their possession and their current position, every action must be done cautiously yet swiftly.

"So," Mewtwo began, "as soon as Allen is on track to a full recovery, why don't we take a trip to Allen's university? If he needs us, we can act as test subjects."

"Are you sure?" Allen questioned. "I wouldn't want to risk the worst happening to you guys. The results of any tests are completely unpredictable!"

"With the situation we are involved in, I'm willing to take any risks."

The other two Pokémon nodded in agreement. Gengar added, "We'll help you with your studies, Allen!"

Allen smiled benignly at them all and said, "Thank you all very much for offering your help. We can all go along once I'm fit for travel, but that might not be for at least a little bit." He winced as he adjusted his position.

"You're right," Mewtwo said, "I'm really sorry to have disturbed you like this when you should've been sleeping."

"Ah, it's no problem," Allen said with a wave of his hand, "I always enjoy company."

Mewtwo smiled as he stood up with the others.

"We'll be back later. Go get some sleep."

Allen leaned back into his pillows and closed his eyes. Though he'd only been awake for a fraction of the time that they had, he looked completely exhausted.

As they left the room, Gengar said aloud, "You know, we never did have breakfast."


	8. Under the Influence

"What time did he say we'd be done?"

"He said around noon."

"Anything we can do to speed this up?"

Mewtwo shook his head, "Nope, just manual labor."

Gengar and Mewtwo were standing in front of the deli, fitting in a new window that had smashed the last evening. The sun was blazing overhead, making the autumn morning disproportionately hot for the time of year. Both had been sweating all morning from working to help clean up the town square. They had so far replanted the scorched grass, filled in cracks found in the building walls, and returned cars to their upright position. This was the last thing they had to do before calling it for the day, and both were quite tired from the morning's work.

"I'll be glad to see everything fixed here. This square certainly deserves to look its best, don't you think?"

Gengar gave a sideways look as they sealed the window in place, waiting for Mewtwo's response. Mewtwo ensured his side was secure before saying, "Certainly. I saw the square yesterday morning, and I must say that it was a wonderful sight."

Gengar hesitated for a second, "Are you okay, Mewtwo? You seem out of it."

Mewtwo jerked his head upward and looked around.

"What—? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. It's just—I was just thinking about what Allen said this morning."

It was true. Ever since they had left the ICU, Mewtwo's thoughts had been on the Mega Ring. Such a powerful device, with the secret entrusted to so few people. Mewtwo couldn't imagine how much of a breakthrough this would be for the research team once Allen returned with the Mega Stone. But the tests were what he was really thinking about. Nobody really knew what exactly the Mega Stone was capable of. In a way, Mewtwo was excited to see its potential, but he was nervous at the same time. What if the ring did something they weren't expecting? Allen did say that the results could be unpredictable.

"Hey Mewtwo!"

"Huh?"

"We're done! All of these windows have been replaced."

So they were. They had moved right along and replaced all the glass that needed fixed, all with Mewtwo hardly noticing.

"Oh! That didn't take very long."

"Not at all!" Gengar replied joyously, "Shall we tell Alder we're finished?"

"Yes, definitely," said Mewtwo as he swiveled on the spot, trying to locate Alder. "Where's—ah, there he is!"

They saw him kneeling by the fountain, tending to the mums around the base of the fountain and wearing a large sunhat to provide shade while he worked. He looked up when he heard the two approaching and grinned when he saw them.

"Are you two finished?" he asked, and when the two nodded in unison, he clapped his hands together, "Great! Good timing too, I just finished planting these mums here. Don't they look nice?"

Mewtwo looked down at the mums. Indeed, they looked quite nice, and they complimented the fountain well.

"They do look good," agreed Gengar as Alder beamed down fondly at the flowers. "Do you garden often?"

"In my spare time. Alakazam will join me sometimes—he likes to help with my spice garden."

Mewtwo could easily picture the pair side by side in a large yard, working away on the land, perhaps passing the time with discussing current events or the like. It made him smile at the thought.

"What are you smiling at?" asked Alder with a grin to match Mewtwo's.

"Oh, nothing," said Mewtwo, hastily trying to rearrange his expression, "Just thinking… thinking about what we could do for lunch."

Alder folded his arms thoughtfully and looked to the horizon, biting his cheek in thought. Gengar asked, "How about the deli? I've been wanting to try it out all morning."

Mewtwo gave a shrug and said, "The deli's all right with me. I'm up for anything."

"Well!" Alder exclaimed, "That was easy, wasn't it? Let's clean up before we go, though."

"Certainly," said Mewtwo, and they all began to move about, returning the various tools they used to their proper locations.

"Hey Alder!" Mewtwo shouted across the square as he carried a large bag of seed in his arms, "Where did you say Alakazam was again?"

Alder approached him with rake and spade in hand and said, "He's back at my house doing some bookkeeping. I asked him to do that while we were out here. Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering if he wanted to join us for lunch." Mewtwo said as Alder fell into step beside Mewtwo.

"Oh!" said Alder with surprise, "I didn't even think of that! I'll ask him now. Thank you for reminding me."

Mewtwo nodded as Alder went quiet. For a moment, there was silence except for their footsteps.

"He said he'd be delighted to join us. We'll be meeting him at the deli when he's finished with his work, which should be quite soon."

They returned all of their equipment and supplies and walked across the square together to find Gengar already outside the deli, bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation.

"I hope you guys are as excited as I am!" said Gengar, positively glowing with enthusiasm, "I'm ready for some lunch after working all morning!"

Alder chuckled and said, "I'm glad to see you're excited, Gengar. I'm ready to eat as well, but we'll go in once Alakazam joins us."

Rather than disheartening him, Gengar seemed even happier to hear this as he gave a wide grin. Mewtwo noticed how different this grin was from the one he remembered, one which, in combination with the narrowed eyes of malice, was quite frightening. Now, his round, bright eyes made his mood infectious, so Mewtwo couldn't help but smile with him.

"The more the merrier!" said Gengar, rubbing his hands together and looking around, "When's he getting here?"

"He's just finished, so he should be here right… about… now."

It couldn't have been more perfect. When Alder said the word "now", a bright white circle came into view on the ground just feet from them, along with a shaft of light that seemed to emanate straight into the sky from this circle. In this shaft, they could see the faint form of Alakazam, growing from merely shadow and vapor, to a ghostly figure, then to a fully solid being. The light dimmed and then vanished as soon as Alakazam opened his eyes. He stepped forward to join the group and asked, _So when's lunch?_

All of them laughed. Alder took point by opening the front doors and beckoned for the others to follow.

Once over the threshold, an amalgamation of smells bombarded Mewtwo's nose, causing him to breathe in deeply all of the different scents. Fresh bread, ham, turkey, chicken, fruits, and salads all met his nose as he turned his head just to sniff the air. His stomach gave a rumble in response.

As their group was led to a table situated by one of the large windows he and Gengar had repaired earlier, Mewtwo realized that he hadn't had a proper dining experience before; he had only served himself some cereal this morning at the Pokémon Center. That was all well and good, but he felt that he was likely to look a fool if he didn't know what he was doing.

Mewtwo drew up to Alder and whispered in his ear, "You might have to guide me through this, because I don't know what to do."

Alder turned to speak out of the corner of his mouth, "It's simple enough. Have the window seat right here and I'll explain."

Mewtwo slid into the booth to sit opposite of Gengar while Alder filed in on his right, taking off his hat and setting it on the floor. It was a bit of a squeeze for Mewtwo given his size, but he managed to fit while he shoved his tail under the table. Gengar sniggered as he watched him struggle. Mewtwo threw him a look of jealousy along with a smirk as he felt rather silly with this situation.

As soon as they were all seated, Alder leaned over and muttered, "Here's what's going to happen; first, we'll get menus that we can use to order." When he said this, he received four of these menus with a word of thanks and handed them out to the others. "After a bit of time, our server will take our orders. I'll go first; all you have to do is follow my lead."

"Thank you!" Mewtwo whispered. He directed his attention to the menu in front of him that said "High Street Deli" embossed with curly, gold writing on the cover and opened it up.

So many options! There were sandwiches, hoagies, salads, and scores of other options. You name it, it was on the menu. All of these choices slightly overwhelmed him, so he decided to look only at the sandwiches for the time being. But even then he didn't know what to choose.

"Any suggestions?" Mewtwo muttered.

Alder looked at his menu thoughtfully and took a moment to answer.

"Hmm… I would suggest one of the sandwiches here." He pointed out some of the options, which included ham, chicken, and turkey, topped with various condiments of the customer's choosing. "I'll be paying, so you can choose anything you wish."

Mewtwo looked more closely and decided to go with the cheapest thing out of respects for Alder's generosity and wallet. He settled on a chicken sandwich.

"All right," Mewtwo said, "I've decided."

"Did you want anything to drink as well?" Alder asked.

Mewtwo turned over the menu and felt his heart sink. Why were there so many drinks? He barely took a glance before giving it up as a bad job.

"Just water's fine," said Mewtwo, closing his menu with a snap.

"So you've decided?" asked Alder, "You know what you want?"

"Yup," said Mewtwo unconcernedly as he laid his menu down on the table, "I'm ready."

"Excellent," said Alder. "How about you guys?" he asked, looking across the table to Gengar and Alakazam. Gengar was still looking down at the menu in his hands, biting his lip in thought. After a moment, he said, "I think—yeah, I know what I'm going to order." An enthusiastic grin lit up his face as he looked over the top of his menu, "Oh boy, I can't wait! This is going to be awesome!"

Alakazam had not even touched the menu that lay in front of him, but said, _I'm ready when you guys are_.

"So everyone knows what they want? Sure? Okay!" said Alder, recollecting the menus. Mewtwo gladly handed his over now that he knew exactly what he wanted. Their server, a young lady with a kind face, approached their table after a short time and greeted them.

"Hello! My name is Sara, and I'll be your server this afternoon. I see that you all have your menus put away—does that mean you all are ready to order?"

"Certainly," said Alder as he moved the pile of menus to the corner of the table, "we're ready to place if you're ready to take." At these words, Alder nudged Mewtwo under the table, and Mewtwo heard his voice say, _Pay attention to how I do this_.

Sara withdrew a notepad and pen from her server's apron and asked, "So who will be starting us off?" Poised to write, she looked up expectantly at the group.

"I will," said Alder, "with the club hoagie, a side of chips, and some green tea."

Sara scribbled all of this down on her notepad and looked up again to address Mewtwo.

"And you, sir? What will you have?"

With purposeful calmness, Mewtwo said, "I'd like the chicken sandwich with some water, please."

Sara nodded, scribbling this down as well. Alder gave him two thumbs up in response. She took the other's orders and said, "Okay, we'll get you your drinks and the food will follow shortly."

She walked away. Alder swiveled in his seat to face Mewtwo.

"Fantastic! Very nicely done, if I must say so myself."

"Thank you," said Mewtwo with a smile, "But of course, learning from the best has its advantages, right?"

"It certainly does," said Alder with a smirk.

After a relatively short time, Sara came back with their drinks on a small tray and began to distribute them.

"So the green tea goes here, I believe?"

"Correct," said Alder as she placed the mug in front of him.

"The regular water goes to—?"

"Me," said Mewtwo, raising his hand and receiving the glass.

"Here's the lemonade…"

"Thank you," said Gengar as he too received his drink.

"And lastly, the High Street's finest Sake, to you, sir."

Alakazam smiled and nodded, taking the drink. Mewtwo glanced at it, a bit puzzled. The beverage seemed almost identical to water by appearance; it was clear and thin. Mewtwo brought his own glass up to Alakazam's wooden bowl of Sake for a side to side comparison. He wondered what made these two drinks so different from each other. As if reading his mind, Alakazam addressed his unasked question.

_This drink, _Alakazam said, raising his bowl to take a sip_, contains the hopes and dreams of all men. It brings you to a wonderful place; a paradise, if you will. When under extreme stress and pressure, it acts as a form of relief. For centuries, men and Pokémon alike have conquered the darkest of times with the help of a little drinking. Never indulging in enough to destroy your sanity, but having just a night to remember that life has its celebratory moments in the worst of times. _

Mewtwo's brow furrowed, extremely confused with the words he had just heard. A drink to have in the darkest of times to keep spirits raised? It sounded like something he could use with all that has happened. Mewtwo knew better than to just blindly experiment, so he simply smiled at Alakazam and sipped his own water.

Sara soon returned with the meals, passing out each order to whom had ordered what.

"Is that all for now?" Sara asked with a smile.

"Yes, thank you very much," Alder answered. Sara nodded and continued her rounds to other tables.

Everything tasted superb. Gengar told some cheesy jokes as they ate, and laughter always followed along, even after jokes that didn't make any sense. Mewtwo periodically glanced back to Alakazam to notice any change, but Alakazam remained the same poised Pokémon he always was.

_The drink must not alter someone physically_, Mewtwo thought to himself. His glance fell to Alakazam's drink, the round wooden cup nearly empty. After some time, Sara made her way back to their table.

"And how is everything on this fine day?" Sara asked. Mewtwo attempted to take the initiative to answer for the group this time.

"Oh it's all wonderful, thank you."

Sara smiled before speaking again,

"Would anyone like anything else? Another drink, perhaps?"

Alakazam politely held up his cup, showing signs of wanting another. Sara took it and said, "Certainly, and anyone else?"

Mewtwo hesitated for a moment. This was his chance to try that paradise of a drink Alakazam was having. Once more, Mewtwo looked at Alakazam, noticing nothing out of the ordinary. He turned back to Sara and made his decision.

"Actually, if it isn't too much trouble, I'd like to try the same drink as Alakazam."

Sara nodded, "It's no trouble at all! Customers from all over enjoy our Sake. A wonderful choice, if I must say so myself."

Mewtwo grinned and glanced at Alakazam. Alakazam smirked back, which he took as a sign of approval.

A minute or two later, Sara returned with a bottle of Sake and a wooden bowl on a small tray. She refilled Alakazam's bowl first, then handed Mewtwo the empty bowl before filling it too with Sake.

Nervously, Mewtwo picked up the drink before him. What sort of magic could lift spirits in such times? Alakazam gave a reassuring nod and said, _It's only a drink. Don't look so tense. In fact, the drink will make you feel much more relaxed._

Mewtwo raised the drink, and brought the wooden bowl of Sake to his lips. Slowly, he sipped the strong liquid. Mewtwo's face filled with surprise. The heaviness and strength of this seemingly thin liquid was extremely unexpected. A rush filled his head instantly, and he felt extremely hot. His cheeks burned a cherry pink, and an unsettling feeling started to swell. Was this normal? Maybe he had gotten the wrong drink. He turned to Alakazam happily drinking, the same as before. Confused, Mewtwo attempted to utter words to the others, but found himself slurring.

"Hey… I don' exactly… feel a'ight."

The others couldn't help but laugh at Mewtwo, only causing his head to spin with confusion.

"Alakazam, I think this may be Mewtwo's first experience with alcohol. Shouldn't you have suggested something a little easier?" Alder asked, chuckling a little bit.

_Hey, I think he needs it. It's basically been hell for him, so he needs to loosen up. Besides, we _are_ his responsible friends, so we won't allow him to do anything too rash._

"Whatever you say," Alder replied.

"What he say?" Mewtwo stuttered.

Gengar grinned at Mewtwo, saying, "Oh, they were just talking about how much they love the Pokémon Mew. I love Mew too!" Alder and Alakazam shook their head at Gengar's terrible excuse for a pun. Mewtwo, too instantly intoxicated to understand the joke, simply stated,

"Oh… well, if ya keep talking smack about me, I'ma Pikachu and give yuh a dirty look."

Giggling, Gengar replied, "Sorry, sorry! It's quite Gastly of me to try and poke fun."

With both hands, Alakazam covered his face and sighed deeply. He broke the flow of horrendous jokes and uproarious laughter.

_Now Mewtwo, alcohol must be used in the right amounts. You seem to have a low tolerance, so just be careful, okay? Either way, don't you feel much more relaxed?_

"Oh, it's grrreat!" Mewtwo answered, head spinning. "My head's goin' round 'nd round and I can' hardly e'vn think. Thinking sucks nowadays, so it couldn't be bettar." Mewtwo grabbed the bottle of Sake before continuing his nonsense, "I want to spin on the ride again! Guess I'll need som' more tickets." He poured an overabundance of Sake into his bowl, spilling some on to the table. He began to drink, but Alakazam intervened.

_All right, all right, that's enough. Maybe we'll try this form of coping some other time. Your body really doesn't take too well to this._

Mewtwo gave a glassy-eyed look to Alakazam, pleading for more.

"C'mon! Bit more can't hurt, can't it? Eh?" He leaned over to Alder and nudged him with his elbow, "Get a load of thish guy!" Mewtwo said in a whisper that nevertheless carried to everyone at the table, "Hehe! 'E don't think I can handle it!" He leaned too far over, lost his balance, and fell into Alder's shoulder, collapsing into a fit of giggles which rendered him rather insensible.

Gengar couldn't take it. He held his mouth shut tight to prevent from losing control, but he was quite as unsuccessful as his jokes. He had to turn away and hide his face while he snorted with laughter. It was a full ten seconds before Gengar could turn back and say, "Oh my God, I love Drunk Mewtwo. Can we keep him for just a bit longer?"

Alder was laughing just as uncontrollably as Mewtwo as he pushed the latter back upright in his seat.

"I don't think he'll be trying alcohol again for quite some time. But yes, we'll keep Drunk Mewtwo for a little bit."

Mewtwo, hearing his name, shifted his unsteady eyes to Gengar and Alder.

"Oi! You guysh 'ant som' Sake? It's really movin'. Oh! I got an idea… what if I let you drink it, from my mouth?"

"Okay, we can give Drunk Mewtwo back now," Gengar said with a shudder.

"Quite right," said Alder, glancing around nervously, "management might think he was over served… Alakazam, do you mind moving him outside while I pay for the lunch?"

Alakazam stood up immediately and made to block the table from view while Alder removed himself from the booth.

"Okay, Mewtwo, come on—up you get…"

But Mewtwo was slumped over the table, still overcome by giggles. Alder sighed and took a hold of his arm. He tugged, but Mewtwo didn't budge.

"What the—? Why won't he move? What's going on?"

Gengar jumped out of his seat and said, "He might be stuck; I saw him have trouble fitting into the booth before we started eating."

"Great," Alder grumbled, "just what we need. Can you help me unstick him?"

"Certainly," Gengar said. He ducked under the table and worked to wiggle Mewtwo free.

"Hey!" Mewtwo said with a snort of laughter, "Whaddya doin'? Tha' tickles!"

After a tense minute, Gengar's muffled voice issued from under the table, "I think I got him free. Try giving him a yank?"

Alder obliged and gave a hearty tug on Mewtwo's shoulder. He broke free, now laying across the booth's seat in an absurdly cramped fashion. Alder pulled him the rest of the way out and tried to get him to stand upright.

"Here, Alakazam, take him outside, will you? Go straight to the Pokémon Center and see if they have any spare full heals."

Alakazam obeyed without hesitation. Supporting Mewtwo with an arm over his shoulder, they stumped their way out of the deli and into the mid-afternoon sunshine.

"Where we goin'?" asked Mewtwo, peering around and coming dangerously close to losing his balance more than once.

_To the Pokémon Center,_ Alakazam replied. _You're going to have a bit of a lie-down before you do anything else, okay?_

"Whaddeva ya say, good shur," he slurred, struggling to keep his footsteps in time with Alakazam. Mewtwo's vision was quite strongly blurred, and he marveled at how some of the things he saw had split into two separate entities.

The two stepped through the front doors of the Pokémon Center—or rather, Mewtwo stumbled through with Alakazam's help—and they approached the front desk. Nurse Joy glanced the two up and down, and chuckled reading the situation.

"My, my," she began, "Looks like Mewtwo got ahead of himself, didn't he? I've been a nurse for way too long not to be able to recognize intoxication." She shuffled through the pantries directly behind the front desk, sifting through bottles of all kinds of medication. She picked up a small yellow bottle and put it on the counter.

"A full heal is just what he needs," she stated. Alakazam nodded with gratitude, and grabbed the bottle. He then guided Mewtwo to the nearest bench, and sat him down.

He began to spray the full heal over him, holding him upright to prevent him from keeling over onto the floor. Once the full heal was applied, its effects began immediately. Mewtwo's flushed face returned to its normal color, and his legs stopped jittering. His face was wiped of the smile, to be replaced by a look of utmost disgust.

"Never again…" he muttered.


	9. To Cerulean City

A couple days passed since that strange episode, but it was still quite funny to think about. Indeed, when Allen first heard the story, he couldn't keep a straight face for an hour. But they all decided to keep it under wraps at present time out of respect for Mewtwo's feelings (though he really didn't mind).

The four of them were again visiting Allen on a rainy afternoon. They could hear the rain pounding against the windows of Allen's new room in the Pokémon Center. He was moved from the ICU that morning, and he was quite happy to have a more normal room.

"I mean, I'm not complaining," Allen said to the group seated around his bed, "but the ICU always made me nervous, you know? I felt anxious whenever I remembered where I was."

"I can attest to that," said Mewtwo, pointing a finger in the general direction of the room, "When I was there about a week ago, I felt exactly the same way."

Allen smiled and said, "Glad to know that I'm not the only one. This room is much better, in my opinion. By the way, do you know what happened to those three Pokémon that were staying in this room? The ones that went rogue this past Saturday?"

Oh yes… those rogue Pokémon… Mewtwo remembered like it was yesterday.

Evening had arrived by the time the three Pokémon were ready to be discharged from the Center. The three of them, Mewtwo, and Gengar were all in the lobby, preparing to say goodbye. The drinking fiasco still fresh in his mind from lunchtime, Mewtwo was determined to display his best behavior.

"I want to thank you guys again for helping us out so much," said Nidoking in a deep and gravelly voice. His thick Irish accent gave the impression that he was a Pokémon not to be crossed, but his posture and eyes begged to say otherwise. "I don' know what we would've done without your assistance."

Gengar stepped forward, hands behind his back, and said in a shy voice, "I'm really sorry that I made you guys do those things. Please, I wish I could make it up to you guys."

Nidoking waved away his apology with a sweep of his massive arm, "Ar, it's no problem. Now that we know why it happened, we can' hold grudges. Don't worry about it."

Gengar bowed his head graciously and said, "I'm happy to have your forgiveness. You know, we should all hang out sometime."

"Maybe," said Nidoking with a small smile, "Me buds and I tend to travel extensively, but we'll try to see you guys again."

He made a slight motion like he wanted to raise his hand to offer a handshake, but stopped as the spark of an idea caused his expression to change like a lightbulb turned on in his head.

"Actually," Nidoking said slowly, "I got an idea…"

Glancing around the lobby, he spotted some spare paper and a pen lying on a nearby table. He took up the pen and wrote down a sequence of digits in an untidy scrawl. He handed it to Mewtwo, who looked down at these digits curiously.

"This is me cell phone number," said Nidoking. "Thank goodness I left it at me temporary residence in this country. If you ever need any of us, call that number, and we'll see what we can do. Okay?"

"That sounds great," said Mewtwo. As Nidoking returned the pen back where he found it and while Seviper and Weezing were watching Nidoking, Mewtwo slipped the paper to Gengar, who folded up and hid it neatly in the palm of his hand. Gengar was more likely to find use for that number than Mewtwo himself. Besides, when were their two groups ever likely to intertwine again?

"It's been a pleasure to meet you guys," said Gengar, using his other hand to shake Nidoking's, "Hopefully our paths will cross again soon."

Mewtwo shook Nidoking's hand and added, "I look forward to seeing you all in the future." His eyes shifted to Seviper and Weezing in the background and he gave both a nod of his head, which each returned. The three of them then turned and left through the Pokémon Center's double doors, Nidoking leading. On they went, growing smaller and smaller against the horizon until they were swallowed by the gathering darkness.

"They seem like a good bunch," said Gengar, still looking after them through the glass doors, "I wonder where they're going?"

"Wherever it is," said Mewtwo, "I hope it's an adventure."

When Mewtwo finished recounting the farewell, Allen smiled and said, "That's great to hear. I'm glad you guys got on so well."

"I am too," replied Mewtwo, "I really want to see those guys again. They said they might drop in sometime."

"Really?" asked Allen, "I'd like to see them when they return! I never got to meet them."

Mewtwo looked on thoughtfully and said, "I'm sure they'll be back again someday."

"Mhmm…" Allen said, nodding to Mewtwo, "But until then, I believe we have some more important things to think about, right?"

Mewtwo gave a very reluctant grin. Today they were scheduled to go to Allen's university and help conduct research on the mysterious Mega Stone. It had been on Mewtwo's thoughts since their visit on Sunday. Indeed, whenever he thought about it, a swooping feeling clenched his stomach until he forced himself to pass over the thought. The panic came and went, reaching various crescendos over the passing time. One day while he was sitting down to some supper in the Pokémon Center, the panic came and reached such a pitch that he had to stand up and take a walk around the village to calm his nerves.

"Oh yeah!" said Gengar, "That's today, isn't it? Oh boy, I can't wait to help out with Allen's research!"

"Yeah…" added Mewtwo in a far less-than-enthusiastic response.

"Well, Gengar, assuming that Nurse Joy checks me off as okay to travel," Allen said with a smile. He leaned over and put a hand on the wheelchair that sat beside his bed. "This bad boy gets me around the Center all right, but hopefully it'll take care of me when we go to other places."

"When will you be cleared to walk around normally?" asked Gengar, eyeing the wheelchair with apprehension.

Allen gave a roar of laughter and said, "With this broken leg and my screwed-up back, I'm lucky that Nurse Joy was willing to clear me for this wheelchair."

"I—but—I mean…" Gengar faltered, clearly aghast as the retributions of Allen's injuries hit him full force.

Allen immediately tried to correct his mistake.

"I mean, I'll be able to walk once both my back and leg heal up. So it won't be for quite a while."

Gengar looked on for just a second longer before burying his face in his hands, moaning, "What have I done!" over and over again.

Allen's mouth was hanging open, looking down at Gengar in stunned silence, and then raised his head to the other three. They could only shrug their shoulders in response. Allen cut across Gengar and said, "Gengar, Gengar, please don't get upset on my account! I'm not holding you responsible for everything! I know you, and you would never want to do that to anybody."

Gengar looked at Allen through his fingers and said, "All the more reason, isn't it? It's my fault and I can't do anything about it!"

Allen's face worked up in concentration. Mewtwo observed this and was under the impression the Allen was doing some very quick thinking. With an odd half-glance to Alder, Allen spoke up.

"Gengar?"

He looked up with the most miserable face Mewtwo had ever seen. Allen looked hard into Gengar's eyes, but far from unkindly.

"You always said you wanted to help fix what you've done, right?"

Gengar nodded slowly, lowering his hands from his face as he did so.

"Why not let me help you so that you can help me?"

Gengar's eyes became very round as these words were spoken. Mewtwo whipped his head to look at Allen and Gengar, hardly daring to believe that his hunch was correct.

"Will you let me be your trainer?"

In the second that lasted an eternity, Mewtwo stared right at Gengar, whose jaw fell in response to these words. Mewtwo saw in his mind's eye the time they were making their way to the town square in response to the call of distress, and heard Allen's voice surface from the memory, _I've been meaning to get this done for quite a while, you know_.

Gengar's smile could not have been wider when he cried with joy, "Yes! I would love for you to be my trainer!"

It was a priceless scene. Gengar jumped up and shook Allen's hand with vigor while Alder clapped enthusiastically, saying, "Oh this is wonderful! What a powerful display of forgiveness and friendship! I must say that I think you two will make a fantastic team!"

Alakazam, who himself was also smiling broadly, added, _You two will go far in all your endeavors. I can guarantee that._

"Congratulations!" said Mewtwo to Allen and Gengar, who looked around and beamed at him. Mewtwo was extremely happy for the two of them, not to mention a little proud of himself. Managing to turn Gengar away from a life of crime made this moment all the more special.

"I can promise you," said Gengar, bowing to Allen, "that I will do everything I can to serve you most faithfully."

Words were simply not enough. Allen shed tears of joy as he leaned forward in his bed to give Gengar an enormous hug. Mewtwo's heart instantly warmed at the sight.

"But to make it official…" said Allen as he released Gengar and reached toward his bag, working to extricate something, "may I have the honor—?"

He removed a Pokéball from his backpack, befuddling everyone in the room to his preparedness.

"Where did you get that?" asked Mewtwo in a manner far from accusatory.

Allen looked around and said, "I always keep this in my bag, just in case the moment I could catch a Pokémon would ever present itself. Some may call it being overly prepared, but I call it optimism."

Mewtwo did recall how Allen said he's been waiting for this moment for quite some time, and he could see the merit.

"I would never have thought of that!" exclaimed Mewtwo, "I'm impressed!"

Allen inclined his head. "Thank you," he said with a chuckle. He turned his attention to Gengar and said, "So Gengar! May I have the honor? Will you be my first 'captured' Pokémon and my starter?"

"Of course, my fine sir!" said Gengar, "I'm ready to be, ah, 'captured'."

Allen held the Pokéball ready in his hand and said, "Okay, then… prepare yourself!" He pushed the button and opened the Pokéball.

As the ball opened, Gengar became white and opaque, like a reverse silhouette. All they could see was his outline. Then, he seemed to have gotten sucked into the Pokéball at high speed, which snapped shut after him. The ball sat in Allen's hand, glowing a dull red.

The ball shook once…

Twice…

Thrice…

And the glow dissolved into nothingness.

Allen pushed the button again to release Gengar. He sprung out of the Pokéball, straightened up, and asked, "Did it work?"

"I believe so!" said Allen, "You are officially mine!"

Gengar gave Allen another big hug and said, "Thank you very much, Allen. I really do appreciate it."

The group sat around and whiled away the afternoon while the rain continued to fall against the windows, making the room feel much cozier. They talked, laughed, and joked, Mewtwo feeling perfectly at ease. There was no better way than this, surely; just the five of them sitting and chatting about whatever came to mind.

What really capped it all off was when Nurse Joy came in at half-past three to talk to them all.

"Allen," she started with a smile on her face, "you've been cleared to leave the Pokémon Center at your leisure. All you have to do is sign out of the Center and use your wheelchair. Isn't that great?"

"It is!" said Allen, "Thank you so much for fixing me up, Nurse Joy, and thank you for letting me leave the Center."

Nurse Joy bowed and said, "It's no trouble at all. The staff and I are glad you've made such remarkable recovery in a short time."

"And it's all thanks to you, Nurse Joy," said Allen, leaning forward to shake her hand. After she exited, Allen suddenly said, "Hey! Do you know what that means? We can finally go to my University and test out the Mega Ring!"

Everyone's eyes lifted as they glanced at one another. Mewtwo's glance, however, quickly transitioned into that of worry. Allen reached towards Mewtwo with his fragile arm, patting him on the back. The sensation of "Don't worry" pulsed through each pat.

"All these lingering questions will soon become clearer," Allen reminded Mewtwo. Mewtwo nodded, his uneasiness reduced, but not completely void.

"Well, shall we head out?" Alder questioned. "There's still quite a bit of daylight to accomplish something before the day is out."

"Yes, of course!" Allen answered. "If we take the train just outside of town, we'll be able to reach the University by—let's see…" He picked up his phone from the bedside table and looked at it quickly before saying, "I'd say around six. Is that okay?"

"I think so," said Alder. "I have to go to my cottage first, but I'll be able to meet you guys at the train station around four thirty."

"All right," said Allen. "Take your time. We'll meet you there."

"See you then!" said Alder, and he exited the room with Alakazam close behind.

After a moment of silence, during which the three of them simply looked around at each other, Gengar said, "So now what?"

"Well," said Allen, "we can get some supper before we leave, because I don't know if we'll have the chance once we're at the University."

"Where is your University, by the way?" asked Mewtwo, for he has so far failed to learn where Allen goes to school.

"Cerulean City," said Allen. "I know it's a bit of a hike to get there, but I don't think it'll be a problem."

"Nor do I," said Mewtwo. "So how about supper? I don't mind eating right now."

No objections were raised, so the three of them left Allen's room (Allen had to be assisted into his wheelchair before he could wheel it around himself) and they entered the lobby's dining area. They filled their plates from the buffet and sat down to a table to eat. For a while, the only sounds were the chink of silverware on plates and the steady drumming of rain on the windows, although it progressively slowed as they continued to eat.

Mewtwo broke the silence with a thought that had occupied him since they sat down, and said, "Allen, what do you study?"

Allen, who had just raised his mug of tea to his lips, stopped and lowered it slowly in response. He looked into Mewtwo's eyes very deliberately before answering.

"Experimental Tactics in the field of Pokémon battles." When Mewtwo responded with a puzzled look, Allen elaborated, "The goals of the program are to significantly change how trainers and their Pokémon do battle, either by making it much easier to execute moves, making it more difficult for the opponent, or giving the Pokémon more adversity in a battle. In short, providing equipment to give the trainer an edge over an unsuspecting adversary."

"How many people are involved?" asked Mewtwo.

"There are four of us on the team. It's a very exclusive program because of the high degree of knowledge required in Pokémon, battles, technology, and everything behind it, as well as the sensitive nature of the research. The four of us keep the secrets between us, not to be shared with anybody else."

"Then why did you tell us about the Mega Ring and Mega Stone?"

"I trust you guys," Allen said simply. "But now that you know how important it is, I don't want anybody to give away the secrets."

"Wouldn't dream of it," said Mewtwo and Gengar in unison.

Allen smiled and replied, "I know that none of you would. I'm just stressing how important the idea of secrecy is behind the program."

"Of course," said Mewtwo, raising his own glass of water in a kind of toast to Allen. "I understand completely."

Mewtwo finished his meal in silence, pondering. How did Giovanni manage to get that Mega Ring all those years ago? And the Mega Stone… Mewtwo shivered at the thought of if it would've been found. Mewtwo certainly wouldn't be sitting here right now—probably off destroying the world or something...

_Don't think like that,_ he told himself sternly as they all rose from their table. _Be glad for where you are right now, all right?_

"Okay then," said Allen, "I think we're about to head out. Are you guys ready?"

Mewtwo nodded stiffly as Gengar replied, "I'm ready."

"Awesome!" said Allen, "Let's head out, then!"

Thankfully, the rain had stopped by the time they left the Center, so the group didn't have to get wet as they traveled to the train station. Allen wheeled himself down the rain-washed streets with good pace, Mewtwo and Gengar walking briskly in his wake. Mewtwo didn't think the train station was very far away from town, but getting there by foot was a different story. The undulations in the land didn't make the trip any easier. By the time they did arrive at the station, Mewtwo was hot in the face and his feet were very cold, Gengar's forehead was shining with sweat, and Allen was huffing and puffing to keep wheeling himself along. The two Pokémon collapsed onto a bench while Allen rolled up alongside them, breathing hard and clutching a stitch in his chest.

"Remind me—" he gasped, "not to… do that again—okay?"

"With pleasure," said Mewtwo, a little winded himself.

After a short while where they all caught their breath, Alakazam and Alder approached the station and found their way towards Mewtwo and the others.

"Sorry for the delay, but now everything's taken care of. We can grab our tickets and get going," Alder said.

"I'll get the tickets for us," Allen offered. "You guys wait by the platform."

After a nod from the group, Allen made his way towards the ticket booth. A young man looked to be in charge, organizing the train schedules on the desk while waiting for tickets to print. As Allen approached the counter, he was greeted with a smile.

"Hello! Where will you be headed today?"

"Five tickets for Cerulean City, please," Allen answered.

The clerk glanced behind Allen and questioned, "Are you including your Pokémon in your count? Station rules state that all Pokémon must remain in their Pokéballs for the ride, so they do not need tickets."

"Oh—then make it three tickets," Allen corrected.

"One moment, then." The clerk printed three tickets marked for Cerulean and handed them to Allen. "Your train is set to head out in ten minutes. Be sure to board quickly and safely, and have a nice afternoon."

"Thanks, and you too!" Allen replied with a wide grin. He made his way back to the others, handing Mewtwo and Alder their tickets.

"The station rules say that Pokémon need to remain in their Pokéballs, so we only needed three tickets," Allen repeated to the rest.

With a nod, Alder brought out his Pokéball and returned Alakazam to it. Allen looked towards Gengar and took out his own Pokéball. Gengar acknowledged the action, and followed suit. With everything prepared, Allen, Alder, and Mewtwo boarded the train.

The train was extremely compact, fit with enough space to seat about thirty people in one car. Nylon fabric covered each seat, and small lights hung over the ceiling. The group found their seats in the row labelled "4-A" and settled in. On the window sill, there was a compartment for Pokéballs to be kept safe, in which Alder and Allen took advantage of. Luckily, this row was handicap accessible, so Allen could simply wheel his wheelchair into the space where the seats would be otherwise. But Mewtwo, like back at the deli, had trouble fitting into his seat, and only managed it when he forced himself in between the bench and the table. Alder looked on for a second, plainly trying not to laugh, and said, "I'll just sit over here then." He sat across the aisle and adjusted himself so that he was facing the other two.

Being a Thursday afternoon, the train was quite empty apart from themselves, so they had free reign to chat about whatever came to mind without fear of being overheard. They rolled through the countryside, Mewtwo leaning against the widow to watch the scenery flick past. The rain started up again as they sped through some dense forests, splattering the windows and darkening the sky outside.

After quite some time of window watching, he turned to the others chatting animatedly about Cerulean City, and Mewtwo listened in.

"I love it," said Alder, "It's my favorite place to go whenever I want to relax. Or, come to think of it, whenever I need a change of scenery. How about you, Allen?"

Allen's eyes widened with the question. His eyes seemed to beam with excitement as he spoke,

"Oh, Cerulean is my hometown! It's so wonderful, from the forests to the small creeks to the lakes, and of course the highly-esteemed Cerulean Gym! Actually, it was because Cerulean's gym became so successful that the Cerulean University was established. Oh, how much I love that city. It's really shaped how I regard life and Pokémon."

Mewtwo, having heard Allen's boast about Cerulean, thought back to when he had first met Allen. He remembered something that didn't sit right with him, so he cut into the conversation.

"Hey, Allen?" Mewtwo began. "I remember when we first met; you had said your goal was to travel all across Kanto, right?"

"That's right," Allen replied with a smile. "Travelling and learning all sorts of things about our world is my dream."

"So, how did you end up at Ether Valley? With a growing University like Cerulean at your disposal, why come do research at such a small town? It seems as if you really love your hometown, so was there really a reason to leave? I'm just curious."

Allen's gleaming face faded with the question. His smile dropped, almost as if he had never been smiling in the first place. Mewtwo noted his facial change and quickly stated, "If it's something you'd rather not talk about, you don't have to—"

"My family and I… had some disagreements. Every time I mentioned traveling or creating a new technology at the University to benefit Pokémon, I was scoffed at. I was told that I was wasting my time trying to improve a world too corrupt, that all my talk of a beautiful world was ignorant. They couldn't see it. None of them could see how beautiful the world was. I know life's hardships had taken a toll on all of them: my mother, father, and my younger brother. Times were tough because my brother naturally had a weaker immune system. But, to just give in to despair and refuse to crawl out of the abyss to see the light, I couldn't do that. I needed to find some way to bring the light back to them."

Mewtwo and Alder sat motionless as Allen continued.

"I told them I had to leave. Not just for my sake, but for their sake too. I needed to study harder, research more about the world, and find just the right thing to prove to them that world wasn't a cruel punishment, but a gift. I had set up an agreement with the University; I could study while I was away, and as long as I documented all my research, I could take a break from my current project. On the map, Ether Valley looked to be an extremely underrated location, so I took the opportunity to spend my time there. I had thought that maybe... just maybe... I'd be able to find what I needed."

Allen shook his head and chuckled somberly, "You know, if my family ends up finding me, they'd look at me now and tell me this appearance was karma for believing in the world. They would say I was punished, but I would still disagree. Despite the current events, I was still able to meet you guys, Alakazam, and Gengar. We may even finish the Project regarding the Mega Stone, of what has been thought of as an impossible enigma. And that… that is part of the precious reward life has to offer."

Mewtwo's brain seemed to have jammed. He sat in his seat, jaw hanging clean open, unable to fathom what he had just heard. He struggled to put his own thoughts into words, but managed to say, "How could your family be so—so short-sighted? I mean—these are your _dreams_ that we're talking about here!"

"Reality hit," said Allen quite bluntly. "Like I said before, my brother has a weak immune system, and a spell hit where he fell gravely ill. Honestly, I didn't know if he would live. Every day I would wake up terrified that my brother wouldn't, and my parents were stressed tenfold by the same idea. I tried to help in any way that I could, but my parents were simply not receptive. Maybe it was the situation talking, but they told me that if I wasn't going to do anything productive for them, then I could just get out of their sight. And so I did."

The loudest silence yet greeted the end of Allen's words. Only the rattling of the train car could be heard as Mewtwo stared at Allen, whose head was hanging as he addressed the table.

"I'm not proud that I left my family, but I was a burden to them if I wasn't doing anything to help the situation. I did what was best for us all, and now I'm working to repay the debt."

Allen took a deep breath, raised his head, and said, "But never mind me." He smiled, albeit a little strained, and asked, "What about you, Mewtwo? I remember that you were going to tell your story, but we never really got a chance."

"That's true," said Mewtwo. "I never did get the chance, did I? Well, I'll tell you now."

And so he did, starting from where he could remember being taken from the small brook that ran through the village to the Pokémon Center. He allowed Alder to fill in the gaps, which made for a more enriching tale. For more than a half hour, Mewtwo talked. He told him about what led him to the library, where he first met Allen. He told him about his hike through the mountains and his trip into the past. He told him everything that happened after Allen's kidnapping. He even told Allen about the drinking fiasco, which was well received by an uproar of laughter.

"... and then we came to visit you this afternoon," ended Mewtwo, watching the scenery again through the rain-streaked windows. They were very close to Cerulean City, for they could see the skyscrapers that dominated the scene, looming into view through the gray haze of rain and fog.

"We must be nearly there…" mumbled Mewtwo, more to himself than anybody. No sooner had he said this did he feel the train slow down slightly as they entered the city limits. A voice came over the loudspeaker and said, "We will be pulling into Cerulean City Station in approximately five minutes. All passengers to disembark, please prepare now to avoid delay. Thank you."

Having been wedged in his seat for more than an hour, Mewtwo was desperate to at least stretch his legs before leaving the train. He made to pull himself out of the booth, but alas, he didn't budge an inch.

"Well, to be honest, I don't know what I expected," said Mewtwo in a bored voice. "I know I was drunk last time, but this is ridiculous."

"Do you need help?" asked Alder, rising uncertainly from his seat. Allen was simply hiding his face, trying not to let Mewtwo see him laugh. He busied himself by recollecting the Pokéballs from the sill compartment and handing Alder's to him across the table with a smirk.

"I don't think so…" Mewtwo said, but his tone suggested otherwise, "I just—need to—damn it."

Though he tried with all his might, he remained resolutely stuck in between the table and the back of the bench.

"I can't believe this," he growled. The train was really slowing down now, and they could see the station through the rain-washed windows. "How the hell am I supposed to get out of here?"

"Give me your hand," said Alder quickly. Mewtwo reached forward as far as his lanky arms would permit and grasped Alder's arm with his left hand and the end of the bench with his right. When Mewtwo had a secure grip, Alder said, "When I say 'pull', we'll get you unstuck, all right?"

"Right," said Mewtwo, praying that this would work as well as Alder was planning.

"Okay… three—two—one—_pull!_"

"OUCH!"

Though he was now free, a corner of the table had caught him and tore across his side, stinging and smarting. He looked down to see that the cut was bleeding and added to his annoyance.

"Can't we ever have nice things?" fumed Mewtwo.

"I guess not," said Allen as the train shuddered to a halt. "But we can fix that at the University." The loudspeaker announced, "Ether to Cerulean now disembarking on platform five. Time: seventeen fifty-seven."

"That's our cue," said Allen, wheeling towards the doors that just opened, "Let's go." They followed him off the train and into the station.

Mewtwo's immediate impression of the station was that of a great glass bubble. The high, arching ceiling made entirely of clear glass flooded the platforms with gray light. People were bustling about, returning from work or else heading out for the night shift. Some were dressed smartly in suits, some more casually, and some dressed in t-shirts and slacks. On and off the trains they walked, leaving no platform empty. The sight alone was enough to baffle Mewtwo as to how smoothly everything was running.

"Where do we go now?" said Mewtwo loudly in Allen's ear. He had to speak up because of the noise of the crowd and the near-constant speech from the loudspeakers announcing trains arriving, boarding, and departing. Allen simply pointed forward in response and wheeled himself onward, clearly indicating for the others to follow.


	10. Cerulean University

The rain was forcing them to dash into the University's front lobby. They all stood dripping over the threshold, clothes completely soaked through, Mewtwo chilled to the bone. Squelching across the lobby, they followed Allen to the front desk, who was addressing the receptionist.

"Allen Greene," he said, holding up an ID card he had procured from his bag. "And can my friends here get some ID cards as well? I don't think they want to have to register as a guest every time."

"Certainly," said the clerk, "but I'll need them to fill out some paperwork first."

"Yeah, of course," said Allen. "We'll need four forums, if you don't mind." He and Alder withdrew their Pokéballs and released Gengar and Alakazam. Alder motioned for the two Pokémon and quietly explained what was going on to them.

The clerk pulled out the forums, clipboards, and pens, and handed them across the counter. Allen accepted them with a word of thanks and distributed the materials. They all settled down across the lobby, and began to write.

For a time, all that could be heard was the scratching of their pens. Mewtwo, his hands being quite inept at holding objects that small, simply used his psychic power to fill out the forum, his pen suspended in mid-air. All he had to do was mentally dictate the writing. Gengar glanced over, throwing the occasional look of jealousy. Mewtwo responded with a smirk.

"When you're finished, gentlemen," called the clerk from the desk, "you'll have to come back here so that I can take photos and print your new ID."

Mewtwo finished his forum and stood up, following the clerk to a backroom where it was already set up for taking photos. He directed Mewtwo to sit down while he adjusted the camera.

"All right, are you ready?" When Mewtwo nodded, he said, "Okay, picture in three—two—one—"

_Click!_

Instantly, the photo appeared on a small screen that was previously black. Intrigued, Mewtwo leaned in for a closer look. There he was, looking back at himself with a small smile. He remembered what he used to look like: angry, irritated, and ungrateful. It was a welcome change.

"Does this picture look good?" asked the clerk.

"Yes!" said Mewtwo. "Thank you very much, sir."

"No problem at all. Now if you'll follow me…"

They returned to the front desk, where Mewtwo's new ID card was printing. The clerk said, "We use different formats between a person's ID card and a Pokémon's. It's easier to tell the two apart." The clerk picked up the newly printed card and attached a lanyard to it, to which he handed to Mewtwo. The card was purple, had his picture on it, and included many of the details he had written on the forum. He strung it around his neck for safekeeping as the clerk said, "Welcome aboard, sir."

Mewtwo shook his hand and replied, "It's a pleasure to be aboard."

The clerk motioned for another volunteer to step up. Alder stood from his chair and followed him to the back room. Mewtwo resumed his seat, and Alder came back not too long after. He received his card and resumed his seat as Alakazam went for his picture.

"Look at this!" said Alder as he leaned across Alakazam's vacated chair, holding out his card to show Mewtwo. He took it with a bemused expression and looked at Alder's card. His was not purple, but white instead, accompanied by a picture of him smiling widely.

"Nice picture," Mewtwo chuckled, handing back Alder's card before Alakazam sat back down, holding his own ID by the lanyard and swinging it in wide circles like a lasso.

Gengar returned, clutching his card and crying with laughter. He held it out for them to see. His picture had a grin even wider than Alder's and his eyebrows were raised, almost in a surprised fashion. They all burst out laughing as Gengar strung his card and lanyard comfortably behind his head.

Once the laughter died down, the four of them returned to the front desk, where Allen had been waiting for them. Allen was happily making conversation with a man who looked only a few years older than himself. The man was wearing a stained lab coat, signifying that he must have just been working on some sort of project not too long ago. His slick brown hair curled at the ends, and he maintained a prim posture. As Allen noticed Mewtwo and the others walk towards him, he immediately shifted his conversation topic.

"Ah, and there they are!" Allen exclaimed. "Tim, these are my wonderful friends I mentioned earlier. From right to left we have Mewtwo, Alder, Alakazam, and Gengar."

"It's a pleasure to meet some of Allen's close friends. Name's Timothy Bishop, or Tim for short. I've been working in the same Department as Allen since before he was even admitted into Cerulean. Once he arrived, we've been paired up on many different team research projects, and I must say, I've missed him. Despite his current condition, it's great to see that he has been successful in making some new friends. And great ones, from what I hear."

"Nice to meet you as well," Alder replied first. "We've had quite the journey with Allen, but that's a conversation in itself for a later date. What sort of research have you been working on? From the looks of your coat, it seems like you've been very busy."

Tim chuckled at the question.

"Oh, this?" he asked, pointing to the pale purple stains scattered on the left side of his lab coat. He smiled and glanced towards Allen. "I was just finishing my research in regards to the different types of poison Pokémon can produce. I was working with some samples to test a theory, and it ended up getting a bit messy. I was headed to grab a clean lab coat, but I noticed Allen had returned, so I couldn't possibly just walk by him."

"You always were enthusiastic when it came to research," Allen chimed in. "He doesn't look it, but when Tim puts his heart into a project, he becomes utterly engrossed in it."

"True," said Tim with a small bow, "I'll never rest until I've finished my project, even if that means nights and weekends. But that doesn't bother me, at least."

"To each man his own passion, huh?" asked Mewtwo. Tim nodded in agreement.

"Not to change the subject, but I've heard that you're all here to help with some research, correct?" asked Tim, looking at them all good-naturedly.

"They are," responded Allen. "But let's go down to the labs before we say anymore, shall we?"

"Yes, let's go!" said Tim, and he led them out of the lobby.

They all took the stairs to the lower level while Allen used an elevator. As Tim led the group, he said to them, "Allen will know where to find us, so we'll meet him there."

They exited the stairwell and walked into a white-walled corridor. Here, more corridors split off, but none as large as theirs. There were many doors that led into testing rooms of varying sizes. Mewtwo had never seen anything like this.

"So where are we going?" asked Mewtwo aloud.

"We're going this way," said Tim. He pointed up the large corridor and began to walk.

The group followed. Mewtwo looked into the labs that he was passing by. Most were dark and unoccupied, although here and there was the occasional person sitting at a computer or writing something down at a table. All of them were wearing the same white lab coats that Tim had (less the purple stains).

"What were you working on, by the way?" asked Gengar, looking up at Tim.

"Poison research," he said briskly. "I'm looking at how the poisons produced by various Pokémon can be implemented in a defensive manner rather than offensive. I think I can create a formula based off of these venoms that will safeguard a Pokémon from most poison attacks. It's like an antidote, but you don't have to wait for your Pokémon to get poisoned before using it!"

At the very end of the corridor was a pair of large double doors. When they arrived at the doors, Tim said, "Allen wanted us to use this lab. It's the largest and best one in the building." He withdrew a key card from his pocket and swiped it through an electric lock, which opened the doors. They all stepped inside while Tim flipped on the lights.

Tim wasn't kidding; this _was_ a large lab. Large machinery sat along the walls, along with scores of electronic devices, spare lab coats, cabinets, instruments, and tools. And even this room had rooms, for smaller ones sat on the outside looking in on the right and left of where they stood. Lab tables were scattered around the room, but a large amount of floor space further back was completely clear of materials.

"Wow," said Mewtwo softly. Despite his mounting nerves, he couldn't help but be awestruck at the sheer size and sophistication of the room.

"Yeah," said Tim a little quietly himself. "Some of the University's finest equipment is in this room. Everything you'd ever need is right here, but I don't know why Allen wants us down here. He wouldn't tell me, but he said it was very important."

Mewtwo nodded gravely, "It certainly is."

Moments later, the lock on the doors clicked again behind them and Allen entered the room wearing a lab coat with _Greene_ embroidered opposite the front breast pocket. Tim stepped forward and said, "So Allen! What are we doing that you wouldn't tell me about before?"

"Testing a breakthrough," said Allen. "Remember the Mega Ring project we've been working on since May?"

"Yeah…" said Tim slowly, "What about it?"

"I think we've found the source of power."

For a moment, Tim was absolutely stunned.

"No way!" breathed Tim, "What—how—?"

Allen simply pointed at Gengar, who briefly explained about the rocks he had found in the ravine near the Seafoam Islands fifteen years ago. Tim seemed to be blown away by this information, and stammered, "I—this is incredible! Just—wow… this really is a breakthrough…" He ran his fingers through his hair, looking on in disbelief. Finally, he turned to Allen.

"How do we test this?"

Allen shrugged and said, "I'm not sure myself, but I think we should get all of our notes and documents first before we move on."

"Yeah…" Tim said, evidently trying to pull himself out of a daze. "Yeah… you're right… We'll get—I mean, I'll get our stuff from the office." He dashed to the door, yanked it open, and called excitedly behind him as he exited, "I'll be back in a minute!"

"Tim really is something when he gets excited, isn't he?" asked Mewtwo, staring at the spot that he had vanished as the doors snapped shut.

Allen chuckled and said, "You learn to live with it after a while. He's brilliant, mind you, which is why he heads this research team. But he can get a bit eccentric like that."

"Must be exciting," Mewtwo muttered with a smile as Tim rushed back into the room, carrying a briefcase and dressed in a clean lab coat which also had his name embroidered on the front. Tim set the briefcase on the nearest table, undid the clasps, and opened it to reveal folders upon folders packed with pages and pages of notes. He spread them out on every table, murmuring to himself as he organized the loose pages.

After he successfully covered all available surfaces with notes, he withdrew a blank paper and pen and said, "Forgive me for asking, Mewtwo, but I need to take some notes on you. You can only get so much from the references we have, and I need an anatomically correct drawing before we proceed. May I?"

"Err… sure," said Mewtwo. No sooner were these words out of his mouth did Tim begin taking notes, copying Mewtwo's appearance with surprising speed and accuracy. Within minutes, he had already filled one page and moved on to a second... then a third... then a fourth. Mewtwo swore he could smell burning paper from the speed of the note taking.

"How many notes do you need, Tim?" asked Mewtwo warily halfway through the fifth page.

"This should be enough," said Tim, checking everything he had written down so far. "Thank you for letting me take these." He gestured to the pages on which the ink was still glistening. Mewtwo glanced at them and was slightly surprised to see his own image on the papers. They were certainly anatomically correct; there was a full body drawing, a profile drawing, limb drawings, and many other sketches. Tim shuffled all the pages together and put them in the back of a full folder marked "No. 133 - 151." When the folder had been opened, Mewtwo caught a glimpse of a sheet clear in the back titled "Mew." His curiosity was sparked.

"Tim," started Mewtwo, "can I see that folder?"

He wordlessly handed the folder across the table and scooted across the room. Mewtwo opened the folder straight to the last pages, flipping past the notes on himself and instead arriving to Mew.

Immediately, Mewtwo noticed that this paper was much older than anything else in this folder. It had yellowed a significant amount and seemed quite tattered. The handwriting looked different, and when he checked it against Tim's most recent notes, he saw that they didn't match up. Somebody else had written on this, and whoever it was certainly had less than stellar handwriting. Mewtwo pulled a chair out from under the table and sat down while he removed these aged papers from the folder. He bent over the papers and began to decipher the notes:

MEW

_(no. ?) 151_

_April 23, 1996_

_Mew is one of the rarest Pokémon in existence. Only a select few have ever been able to lay eyes on this mystifying Pokémon. Mew's ability to become invisible at will, as well as travel through air and water with apparent ease, makes it all the more difficult to spot, much less to capture._

_From the reported sighting of Mew we received, it is describes as very small at only one foot tall. Pink and bipedal, Mew has a wide, short snout, triangular-shaped ears, and wide, blue eyes. Its front paws are small with three fingers while its feet are quite large in comparison to the rest of the body. The tail is long, ending in an ovoid tip. _

_Although very little is known about Mew, we hope to discover more about this truly remarkable Pokémon, for we believe that it contains the DNA of all living Pokémon to date. No doubt that research will need to be conducted._

But the notes didn't stop there. A scribble across the page separated this writing from the next. Mewtwo read on:

_July 5, 1996_

_Mew was founded and captured deep in the jungles of South America by part of our research team. The other half claimed to have seen Mew just minutes before we met up, or about the time we captured Mew. We believe that Mew is unique, and that there is only one in the world._

_Mew's appearance is precisely what we received earlier this year, therefore confirming that this Pokémon exists and is not a mirage. We plan to perform some tests and experiments once we return to Japan._

_July 10, 1996_

_The confirmation of Mew as a legitimate Pokémon was a big step. We can now perform experiments to try and unlock its potentials, which seem to be promising as we set up for testing. It is unknown how long these tests and experiments will last, but it will undoubtedly be a long process to extract and effectively test a DNA sample. Standby on updates to come._

_October 2, 1996_

_After spending much time on attempting to acquire a valid sample of DNA, we have succeeded. Mew is being kept secure as we conduct more experiments. Hopes are high as we attempt to discover as much as we can about Mew's DNA structure. _

_October 11, 1996_

_Several days of testing on Mew's DNA have proven to be enormously successful. It is confirmed that the DNA matches the genetic code of every Pokémon we've compared it to. We plan to continue comparison against every Pokémon we can afford to test._

_October 27, 1996_

_After nearly four weeks of testing, our team can say with confidence that Mew holds the genetic code of all Pokémon, effectively making it the ancestor to every Pokémon that exists. Mew is still kept secure; however, the team wishes to perform further experiments with the DNA. We have decided to attempt to enhance the DNA we have acquired from Mew. The theory being that because Mew's genetic code applies to every Pokémon, a test subject will not reject the new DNA and will become more powerful. We hope this holds true as we begin the next phase._

Having reached the end of this page, Mewtwo set it aside, his curiosity burning white-hot. But the next page had been torn in half across the middle. It was a very untidy tear, almost like it was done in a great hurry. New and unfamiliar handwriting was on the remaining paper, which followed the same format as the previous entries. Confused, he continued to read:

_February 6, 1997_

_The DNA of Mew has successfully allowed us to create a clone. After some months of failures and setbacks, this is a major success. The clone has been christened Mewtwo as a result of the successes of these experiments and the uniqueness of the original Mew. Mew will remain secure and protected for possible further research as Mewtwo will become the subject of experiments to increase potential power._

In an instant, Mewtwo felt his heart stop dead cold as he read the last few words.

Here it was; the evidence that he was to become a tool of mass destruction. He was only an experiment to these researchers more than fifteen years ago and nothing more.

Is this what was going to happen to him all over again today? Was he just going to be another experiment along with his friends?

But before he let his emotions run away, he stopped to think. He, Gengar, and Alakazam had volunteered for this, knowing full well that the experiments could be unpredictable. But this time, they were going to try and get some good out of it all. They were going to put the Mega Ring to good use.

They were going to _succeed_.

Mewtwo turned over the half-sheet of paper in his hand and found the shortest entry yet:

_September 1, 1997_

_Mew has been lost. Went missing after Mewtwo escaped from our laboratories on Cinnabar Island. Current location is unknown._

Mewtwo laid down the crumbling piece of paper and buried his face in his hands, sighing deeply. Even though it happened a long time ago, he could picture the scene in his mind's eye—people panicking as he proceeded to destroy their labs, mass confusion, and in the midst of it all, the loss of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in studying Pokémon.

He clenched his fists, hating himself for ruining so much. He could feel the anger rearing in his chest like an Ekans out of tall grass. Why was it always him? _Why?_

Mewtwo stuffed the papers back into the folder and whipped out the ones on himself, determined to learn more. In the same handwriting as the half-sheet and on paper the same age was written:

MEWTWO

_(no. 150)_

_February 6, 1997_

_From Mew's DNA, our research team has managed to create a clone. This clone has been christened Mewtwo. We will be experimenting with its genes in a short time. For now, Mewtwo is being held safe and secure separate from Mew. Updates to come._

_February 10, 1997_

_Mewtwo's DNA is proving to be very moldable. The next phase of research will be to expand Mewtwo's powers. We believe that Mewtwo's abilities can be greatly strengthened and we can introduce some new ones as well. Hopes are high as we move to begin this next phase of experimentation._

_May 16, 1997_

_The gene modification is proving to be very successful, albeit some side effects are making themselves present. Mewtwo has now demonstrated enormous battle potential through more than three months of work. His power is quickly becoming unrivaled by anything we throw at him, even when challenged by a type advantage. At this time, only the most skilled and prodigious belligerents are able to defeat Mewtwo—a notable example was a victory by Alder Flynn's Alakazam of Ether Valley on April 21. But Mewtwo is always learning, which is very promising to our research team._

_Unfortunately, some issues are arising from the side effects aforementioned. The modifications have led to a rise in mistrust, which in turn leads to a certain amount of distancing between him and our training team. With the passing time, his personality is growing colder and he is becoming less and less receptive to the feelings of others, even discarding them at certain times. Hopefully this will be straightened out with discipline and time._

_Mewtwo's physical appearance has also been gradually altered as a result of the constant changing in his genes. He has grown an extraordinary amount compared to when we began work on February 6 of this year. Mewtwo is bipedal, stands at six feet seven inches and weighs in at over 200 pounds. His skin is no longer pink like that of Mew, but is instead white with a touch of gray and lavender. His complexion has taken on distinctly human characteristics, including a clearly defined neck, much longer arms, and a breastplate of armor attached to the back of his skull by a tubular appendage. His head has horn-like features, a very small nose and mouth, and narrowed eyes. The bottom half of his body is much wider than the top. His tail was also altered a great deal, becoming much thicker and longer than Mew's (but still ending in an ovoid tip)._

_Despite these changes, we push on to make Mewtwo the pinnacle in Pokémon battling._

_July 3, 1997_

_Mewtwo is becoming more and more difficult to handle. During training sessions, he seems to not know when to stop attacking, which has led to nasty injuries for the Pokémon that challenge him. He is also resisting commands given by our trainers, sometimes ignoring them completely. The gene alterations may have brought about these unfortunate occurrences, but we plan to crack down on his habits as soon as possible._

_No changes have occurred in his physical appearance, except for perhaps a slow, gradual narrowing of the eyes. But this is impossible to verify._

_August 27, 1997_

_Mewtwo attacked a member of our team today, injuring him seriously enough to earn the victim a trip to the hospital. Though Mewtwo was quickly subdued, we are worried about his actions. Our research team is concerned that we altered his genes too much, resulting in an irreversibly vicious behavior. No amount of discipline is having any effect on him. We plan to keep Mewtwo out of the path of others while we decide on his fate at a later date._

_September 1, 1997_

_Mewtwo has destroyed and escaped our laboratories at Cinnabar Island. He was no match to any Pokémon we threw at him. We made Mewtwo far too strong with the combination of a mind bent on nothing but victory in battle. He has absolutely no regards for the personal safety of others, nor does he care about how much he injures his opponents._

_His current location is unknown, but on no account should any individual approach Mewtwo or attempt to find him. He is considered lost at this time._

As Mewtwo read these last few entries, his brain seemed to have been struck dumb, processing the information at a snail's pace. Once again, he could vaguely see the terrible deeds being committed. As he closed his eyes and bowed his head in disappointment, shame burned his insides. He could vividly see himself wreaking havoc in this laboratory, trashing the place without a care for others.

"Mewtwo,"

The voice was coming from a long way off, almost like at the opposite end of a tunnel. It barely roused him from his reverie until he heard a second, much louder bid for his attention.

"Mewtwo!"

He jolted upright. He hadn't noticed how slouched he was over the table until his eyes flew open in response to the voice nearby.

"What? What's going on?"

"Nothing yet," said Allen as he wheeled himself closer to where Mewtwo was sitting. "But we're about to begin testing, and we need you present."

Mewtwo didn't look around when Allen was approaching. He was staring blankly at the notes resting on the table, not taking in a word of what his eyes were seeing. Fear began to fog his brain as Allen drew right up to Mewtwo.

"What's wrong, Mewtwo? Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," said Mewtwo far too quickly to be believable. When Allen pulled a skeptical look, Mewtwo closed his eyes and sighed, "No… I'm not okay. I'm far from okay."

Mewtwo looked up at Allen to find his head turned slightly to one side.

"Why do you say that?" asked Allen.

"I'm just not," said Mewtwo in a low voice that shook slightly. "I'm scared that something's going to go wrong. I'm worried that I'll accidentally hurt somebody. I just—"

He glanced at the notes scattered before him. Allen noticed this, and comprehension dawned on his face.

"Mewtwo," he said quietly, leaning in and looking at the notes as well, "that was many years ago. Things change, and so does science. What they did to you was out of line and uncalled for. Nobody should have been allowed to alter you that much just to strengthen you for battle.

"I've read all of the notes in that briefcase many, many times. If there's one thing that I can tell you about Pokémon numbers one fifty and one fifty-one, it's that they don't match up. You saw the half-sheet of notes on Mew, right?" Allen asked, gesturing towards the folder. Mewtwo nodded, and Allen continued, "Somebody else wrote those notes, as well as the ones on you. That tells me there's some sort of discrepancy in there, and that we shouldn't completely trust what was written. That's why Tim wanted those notes on you, Mewtwo. It was to help fill in where the original lacks."

In response, Mewtwo quickly opened the folder and rifled through the pages to take out the notes that Tim took earlier. Upon closer examination, the drawings and the accompanying notes were mostly on his physical description, going far more in-depth than the ones on the yellowed paper and consistently referencing the drawings that accompanied them.

"It's just details on my body…" said Mewtwo in a dejected voice. "Anyone could've seen that much,"

Allen pointed at the last lines of text on the fifth page, something that Mewtwo had overlooked. He picked up the sheet:

_Although Mewtwo's physique is undoubtedly fascinating to study, his personality is by far the most interesting. In immense contrast to old research and popular belief, Mewtwo is not a savage Pokémon hell-bent on victory. He does not demonstrate the widely believed attitude of cold indifference to others and their well-beings. Mewtwo is in fact an empathetic Pokémon. He is extremely protective of his friends and allies and is concerned for his opponents, not wishing to do them severe bodily harm._

_Fifteen years have passed since Mewtwo was last seen. We can only guess what has happened to bring about such a change in what was once the most dangerous Pokémon to ever exist._

A single tear leaked out of Mewtwo's eye as he set the paper down. To know that another being recognized him for what he is, and not what he was, was more than he could put into words. In a voice barely above a whisper, Mewtwo asked, "How did Tim know?"

Allen shrugged and said, "When we were talking while you guys were getting ID cards, Tim was shocked to see you. He was worried because he obviously didn't know how you would behave, other than what he's read from those." He gestured again towards the notes on the table. "I had to tell him about the real you and how you saved me, took in Gengar and turned him away from the brainwashing, helped to fix up the town square, and your willingness to volunteer for testing. Needless to say, he's convinced that the new you is the real you."

Mewtwo felt like his heart was swelling with joy in response. All he could say was, "Thank you, Allen, from the bottom of my heart. I really do mean it. I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't met you—truly I don't."

Allen grinned in an embarrassed sort of way, saying, "It was the least I could do for you, Mewtwo. I am forever in debt to you for saving my life."

After a short pause, Allen looked around to the back of the room where the rest were conjugated and said, "I think we're about to begin." He turned to Mewtwo with bright eyes and said, "Are you ready to make history?"


	11. The Mega Ring

The three Pokémon were lined up in the back of the lab room, facing Tim and Allen. Both had collected the notes on the Pokémon that were standing before them and had pen and clipboard in hand. There were laptops sitting on nearby tables, wires trailing from them and connecting to the tower of a supercomputer. Alder observed from a distance, arms folded as he leaned on a table. Allen was sitting off to the side in his wheelchair, watching Tim speak animatedly to the test subjects.

"So what we're going to start off with," said Tim, "is a test of your basic combat abilities. When it's your turn, use any move of your choosing that will normally damage an opponent. Status-affecting attacks like _Hypnosis_ aren't going to work because they won't register on our device." He pointed to a large steel plate bolted to the back of a wide ovular opening, which was set in the wall like a test chamber. The steel plate looked very plain compared to the rest of the room.

"This plate," said Tim, still pointing to the plate, "is going to measure the strength of your attacks, which will be processed by the supercomputer, which compiles the data, which sends it to our laptops. We'll all be able to see how strong the attack is and measure your skill level."

_We don't even have to go that far; we already know who's going to win,_ whispered Alakazam. Mewtwo smirked while Gengar let out a snort that he hastily turned into a cough.

"So," said Tim, apparently noticing nothing, "who's going first?"

Gengar promptly raised his hand in response. Tim's eyes fell upon him, looking a little surprised at such a quick reaction.

"That makes it easy!" he said. "May I have your ID card so that the machine knows who is going?"

Gengar lifted the lanyard above his head and held it out for Tim. He took it and swiped the card through something that looked like the electric lock to the lab. Gengar's picture and information showed up on one of the laptops, along with a prompt on the screen that said, "Ready to collect data". Tim moved to this laptop and typed something in while he said, "Go ahead and position yourself about fifteen or twenty feet away from the plate, if you please." Allen was already taking notes on his clipboard, scribbling with the same speed that Tim did earlier. Gengar took his position as Tim had directed and looked expectantly at the latter.

After one last keystroke with gusto, Tim said, "Okay! Whenever you're ready, Gengar, give it your best shot!"

Gengar turned to the target, stanced himself, and said under his breath, "All right… standard battle tactics… let's go." With his eyes locked onto the steel plate, Gengar put everything he had behind his punch as he thrust his fist straight at the target with incredible speed.

Though he was standing twenty feet away, a whooshing sound came from near the plate, followed at once by a loud, jarring _smash!_ It sounded like he had punched a locker door but with much more strength. After the attack, Gengar relaxed, shaking his right hand and saying with a chuckle, "That felt good."

"Nice job!" said Tim, turning back to the laptop and typing again. "That was a fine _Shadow Punch_, if I must say so myself. That'll rank highly in the final results." He paused as the data was shown on the screen. "Yep, there you go. Here's what the machine read for your stats."

Gengar walked up to the laptop and leaned in to read what was on the screen.

"Estimated Level: seventy… Attack: one hundred ten… Speed… two hundred fifty!" Gengar exclaimed, jumping back in surprise. "That's really high!"

"Indeed it is," said Tim. "Your speed is relatively unmatched. Compared to the results of all the Pokémon I've had in here for study, you're by far the quickest. I would definitely keep that in mind and use it to your advantage."

"I will," promised Gengar, stepping back away from the computer and rejoining the others.

"Okay… next volunteer?" asked Tim, looking between Alakazam and Mewtwo. Alakazam raised his hand and stepped forward, handing his card over to Tim before filling in the testing spot. Tim repeated the process and said, "All right then—whenever you're ready, go ahead and give it a shot."

Alakazam nodded, contemplating his target without moving a muscle. Nothing happened for a moment. Then his eyes began to glow white as he stanced himself, bending his knees slightly to prepare for an attack. He brought his arms straight behind his back then forward again in one fast, gracefully sweeping motion. From both hands and eyes fired a stunningly bright white ray of energy; so bright, in fact, that Mewtwo was temporarily blinded, forced to quickly turn away as he threw his arm up to shield his eyes. A deep, reverberating tone issued from the point of contact even louder than Gengar's attack. Mewtwo could actually feel himself unsteady as the sound waves washed over him. He staggered a little as he took a step back to try and steady himself again.

When he looked up again, he found Tim and Alder exactly like he was; both had their arms up to try and block the brightness of the attack. Allen and Gengar, however, had plugged their ears with their fingers instead. They were hunched over, simply trying to avoid the colossal noise that was still echoing around the room.

When everything died down, Alakazam was still holding the pose, breathing hard as though he had run a marathon. He dropped his arms then lowered himself to a knee, trying to regain his breath.

_I am—not as young as I once was,_ they heard him say. Alder moved forward and grasped him firmly around the shoulder, steering Alakazam towards a seat where Tim was and sitting him down.

"Are you all right?" asked Allen, looking very concerned.

"Yes, he's all right," said Alder. "He's just not—he hasn't done that in a long time. I can't remember the last time I saw him use _Psybeam_. Must've been years ago, huh?"

Alakazam nodded in response. They all turned their attention back to the screen where the results were printed.

"Estimated level: eighty-five..." Tim read off, eyebrows raised. "Attack: one hundred thirty… Speed: one hundred ninety-five… Special attack—wow," he breathed, "three hundred eighty. That's just—like—wow.

"So Mewtwo," said Tim in a voice that suggested precisely what Mewtwo feared as to what would come next, "If you would, please…"

They repeated the process again, this time everyone moving back by at least a couple feet. Mewtwo couldn't blame them, for he would've done exactly the same thing.

"Whenever you're ready," said Tim.

Mewtwo turned to face his target, staring at the innocent-looking plate of steel. The others made it look so easy to strike without fear of hurting others. Obviously, control was of the essence in this situation: one false move, and—well…

What was he to do? Could he use a less powerful attack and achieve similar results? It was worth a shot, wasn't it?

Praying that this would work, Mewtwo charged up the purple sphere of energy in his hands, but didn't allow it to be any bigger than the size of a softball. When he ensured that he was ready, Mewtwo released the energy toward the target.

Nothing happened. The energy hit the target and dissipated upon contact. Mewtwo turned around to see Tim's face displaying nothing but dull surprise. He ran forward to the laptop and read the data that was displayed.

"Erm… there isn't a reading," said Tim. He turned to look at Mewtwo with a calculating expression. "Perhaps that wasn't the proper attack? Would you like another go?"

"Yeah…" said Mewtwo in a dazed voice. "I guess that was the wrong thing to do. Sorry about that. I'll—I'll try something different this time."

Tim retreated. Mewtwo turned again to the target, thinking. He wasn't the most powerful Pokémon in existence for nothing, right? What could he do that no other could ever hope to accomplish?

The answer struck him in one horrible stroke of inspiration.

Throwing all caution to the winds, Mewtwo began to charge. The energy was not purple this time, but a reddish-orange color. It grew larger and larger in his hands until it reached the size of a beach ball, at which point Mewtwo felt like he could not put in any more power. Above the droning hum from what he was holding, Mewtwo could hear the rushed footsteps of the others diving to cover. The energy started to crackle and spark, where arcing began to take place on the inside. It looked like some weird ball of superheated plasma. He could not wait much longer, for the attack was costing him stamina to keep at bay. When he felt like he couldn't stand holding on any more, he released.

The explosion was enormous. Mewtwo was blown off his feet and slid over a table before coming to rest at the other side of the room. Miraculously, he didn't feel hurt at all. He slowly got to his feet and looked around.

Apparently, everything survived except for the papers that had lain on the table tops. They were all fluttering about as if they had been caught in a high breeze. The others were emerging from behind whatever cover they could find, looking as surprised as Mewtwo felt. He gingerly walked back toward them.

Tim was the first to recover from the shock.

"That was a very… _very_… dangerous thing to do," he breathed. "There aren't a lot of Pokémon that can use _Hyper Beam_ without causing collateral damage." He took a few shaky breaths before continuing, "But that aside—what do the readings say?"

They all crowded around the laptop to see the results, but nobody had to read them out loud. _Everything_ was maxed out. Even the level estimation failed to produce a result. It was here and now that Mewtwo fully understood the truth behind Gengar's words from the Pokémon Tower:

_Nobody speaks your name without fear striking their heart._

"Umm, Tim?"

Tim didn't turn at Mewtwo's words, but Mewtwo knew that he was listening.

"I'm more than happy to help with everything that's going on, but can we not test my abilities with the Mega Ring? I mean," he hesitated, trying to place his words delicately, "even the machine couldn't tell how powerful I am. Either we need to take a different approach once we use the Mega Ring or I could just sit out with the power testing phase once we _do_ use the Ring." He waited a second before adding, "What say you?"

Tim remained very still throughout hearing out Mewtwo and didn't change his posture when Mewtwo stopped speaking. Mewtwo could tell that he was doing some quick, hard thinking. After a full ten seconds, Tim said with the same delicacy as Mewtwo, "I think you're right… Obviously, this testing method can't properly accommodate attacks of your power. We'll have to think up a new method. But," he said, still addressing the computer screen, "I'd hate to miss out on how the Mega Ring affects different kinds of Pokémon." He finally turned to look at Mewtwo. "Do you mind us at least seeing how the Mega Ring affects you?"

"You mean physically?"

"Precisely."

"I—no, I don't mind at all."

"And you two?" Tim asked, looking between Alakazam and Gengar, "Do either of you mind?"

Both shook their head 'no' in unison.

"All right then," said Tim. He began to drum his fingers against the top of the table, looking at the laptop's screen again. "So we'll have to get everything set up again… Allen, can you get all the notes on the Mega Ring before we start?"

"Yeah, just a minute," said Allen. He rolled off to one of the tables and shuffled notes around to search, returning with the proper documents. He handed them to Tim, who began to review. He mumbled to himself as he read, eyes roving across the pages.

"Can you do me a favor, Mewtwo? Go down this big hall and take a left in the C-wing to our office and retrieve the Mega Ring for us. It's room C-5 in a safe that's bolted to the floor under Allen's desk. The code for the safe is thirty-three, eighteen, forty-five. Got that?"

"Room C-5, safe under the desk, code's thirty-three, eighteen, forty-five," Mewtwo rattled off to himself. "Yeah, I got it."

"See you soon," said Tim. He handed back Mewtwo's card, pulled the notes towards him and Allen, and began to pour over them while Alder, Alakazam, and Gengar huddled together and talked in whispers. Mewtwo turned, opened up the doors, and left the room.

The hallway was much darker now that some time had passed since they entered the building. Most of the lights had been turned off, leaving some areas in complete darkness. Mewtwo walked on, feeling a sense of eerie foreboding creeping up on him through the silence. He was searching for something that would lead him to the C-wing when he saw a small sign hanging from the ceiling with a letter C and chevrons pointing to the left. He turned down this hallway, looking through the windows of totally dark rooms. Near the end of this hallway was a wooden door with the brass number five on it. Mewtwo took hold of the handle, turned, and gently pushed the door open.

Once he flipped the light switches, the whole office came to be visible. Inside were four large desks, two together on the left and far wall. Each had a chair and desktop, along with little odds and ends that belonged to their respective owners. Filing cabinets and cubbies lined the whole right wall, jam-packed with folders and papers like the ones that Tim had brought. Near the door frame were four hooks for coats, where two lab coats were still hanging. Small name plaques above each hook denoted to whom the space belonged. They read, from left to right, 'Bishop,' 'Greene,' 'Prasad,' and 'Fuller.'

Mewtwo crouched down to see under the desks and found the safe that Tim was talking about earlier. He reached for the dial and began twirling it, working in the numbers he had memorized.

"Thirty-three…" he mumbled to himself as the dial whirred smoothly, "eighteen… forty-five…"

There was a faint _click_, as if something had fallen into place. He grasped the lever and twisted hard, causing the door to pop loose and swing freely on its hinges. There, sitting on the floor of the safe, was the Mega Ring. Colored gunmetal gray, tiny particles refracted the light and made it sparkle when Mewtwo moved his head. He picked it up and turned it in his hands, even trying it on around his wrist. The only thing different from his remembering was the stone. Where it should have sat was instead a single cavity that could accommodate a variety of stone sizes.

But when he remembered what it had cost them to discover about the Mega Ring, he was suddenly overcome with a violent urge to fling the Ring away from him. Suppressing this impulse with difficulty, he relocked the safe before standing up to leave. He glanced at Allen's desk and belongings, turned towards the door, then did a double take.

Something on the desk had caught his eye. Propped up next to the computer monitor was a picture of two teenagers, arm in arm and laughing jovially at the camera. Mewtwo bent over to get a closer look.

He quickly recognized the boy on the left as Allen. He was wearing his round glasses and his beanie, looking very similar to when Mewtwo had first met him. With his face and body undamaged, he looked quite handsome. However, the person with whom he had his arm around was not familiar. He was shorter by about a head and looked very skinny in comparison. His thin face suggested a worn air, accentuated by his oddly grayed-out hair. He seemed like a frail fellow, as if a single gust of wind might simply blow him away. However, once Mewtwo looked past these features, he could see a striking resemblance to Allen.

Allen's brother…

He picked up the photograph and turned it around. Written on the back in calligraphic writing:

Allen and Joseph "Joe" Greene

Brothers to stand the test of time

Something clenched in Mewtwo's stomach, rooting him to the spot. He couldn't think of why this was happening until he recognized this as a strong emotional reaction to the picture. Another second later, and he realized that he was looking at family, something that he never had. He was never allowed to receive a mother's love or a father's affection. He never got to experience what it was like to have siblings to compete with, rival against, and work alongside. Nobody to call "family."

Hot, searing pain burned his throat and blurred his eyes. Unable to stand the bitter thoughts for company, he replaced the photograph and left the room, desiring nothing else but to escape the sorrow that was overwhelming him.

He ran through the halls, swiped his card through the lab's electronic lock, and burst into the room. The others were still grouped together, watching Tim give an explanation on something that Mewtwo couldn't hear. He hastily tried to rearrange his expression as he walked across the room towards the group.

"Ah, thank you Mewtwo." Tim turned towards Mewtwo, noting the Mega Ring in his hand. Mewtwo handed the Mega Ring to Tim, and Tim began to make the appropriate preparations. He placed the Ring on the center counter of the room, assembling all materials to this new work station. Pages of notes, beakers filled with certain chemicals, and tools of precision lay at his side.

"Allen, may I have the stone?" Tim asked, the anticipation obvious in his voice. Allen reached into his pocket and pulled out the Stone. It sparkled against the artificial light of the lab, the spherical shape still mesmerizing despite the countless times it's been seen. Carefully, Allen handed Tim the stone. Tim smiled, placing the stone next to all the other materials.

"Is everyone ready for the experiment to begin? We are about to bear witness to what might be the greatest discovery in our century!"

"If this really works," Allen breathed, "I—it's just so unbelievable to think about. All of our research... and to think it might work! I'm ready to give it a go." Allen turned to Mewtwo and the others. "How about you guys?"

Allen was met by nods all around. Although hesitant, Mewtwo acknowledged the feeling Tim and Allen must be experiencing; an experiment that has always failed may now succeed. That is quite a spark to revitalize this project. He wasn't going to let his own nervousness inhibit that.

"Alright!" Tim replied. He took hold of the Mega Ring, locating the proper indent in which to place the stone. Carefully, he poured a small dose of epoxy to act as a final binding once the stone was in place. After a few seconds, he then proceeded to place the stone in the cavity, which bonded on contact with the epoxy.

In Tim's hand, the Ring looked even more mystifying as the Ring itself scattered the light it caught while the Stone glimmered with the strange light from within. For a few seconds, all was quiet.

"So Allen," said Tim, holding out the Mega Ring, "would you like the honors?"

Allen took the Ring from Tim's hands and into his own, turning it with an expression of interest.

"Whenever you're ready," mumbled Tim.

Allen slid the Ring over his hand and onto his wrist. At once, the Ring shrunk to fit his wrist. This time, not only was the Stone glowing, but the entire Ring was shining dully, emanating an aura of palest green.

Everybody froze. Allen stared blankly at the Ring as he said, "Uhh… is it supposed to do that?"

Tim looked equally surprised as he referenced the notes.

"Err… I don't know," he said sheepishly.

Allen moved away from the group to the open floor space and said, "Gengar, come here."

Gengar stepped forward, wringing his hands anxiously as he approached Allen.

"Yes?"

"Do you remember what I said about how these experiments could be unpredictable?"

"Yes, of course."

"Well, if you don't want to do this, I can't force you to. I'll be more than understanding."

"Are you kidding? I've been looking forward to this all week! I'm ready to do this!"

Allen looked slightly taken aback at his enthusiasm, but said, "All right… get ready!" He raised his arm and, slowly and deliberately, pressed his finger to the Mega Stone.

At once, Gengar gasped in surprise. His figure became cloaked in a white silhouette, dimming everything in the surrounding area. He grew brighter and brighter, so much that everything else turned to velvety blackness.

And then he began to change. Very quickly, his hands seemed to have sunk into the ground along with his feet. Spikes grew along his back and where his hands contacted the ground while his ears elongated by a significant amount. He looked like a runner at the starting block. Once his features ceased to change, there was an explosion of light.

Everyone's jaw dropped in awe.

"Oh my goodness," Tim breathed, "it works!"

Gengar glanced down at his own appearance, completely mesmerized by the drastic change. Not only did he appear different, but his entire body surged with a new form of energy. It was as if weeks of training and battle knowledge had poured into his head at once. Faster, stronger, more cunning; the improvement felt indescribable. Concentrating, Gengar constructed a ball of shadow and allowed it to hang in mid-air before him. He contemplated his target for just a second, then struck.

Nobody saw the ball hit the target, but everyone heard the resonating, gong-like _clang_ that came after. Rushing to check the laptop, Tim gasped at the results. Each stat bar was at least triple that of the previous data.

"This is just incredible! What power!"

Mewtwo was absolutely stunned at what he had just witnessed. Gengar's once simple _Shadow Ball_ now struck with the power of _Phantom Force_. Tim and Allen were writing at the speed of light, hands traveling across the paper so fast that Mewtwo could smell more burning paper. While this was going on, he leaned in to Gengar's ear and trusted that the others weren't listening in.

"How do you feel?" mumbled Mewtwo.

"I feel…" started Gengar under his breath. "I feel like I can do anything—anything at all… I feel power that I've never had before… I feel speed and quickness that's difficult to explain… but most of all, I feel great!"

"Great?" Mewtwo repeated. "What do you mean?"

"I mean—it feels like… like everything's just fallen into place. D'you know what I mean?"

"No," Mewtwo replied with dismay. "I have no idea what that feels like."

Gengar gave a wide smile and said quietly, "You should know before too long."

"Excellent results!" proclaimed Allen joyously. "That Mega Ring sure does pack a punch!"

"Agreed," said Tim, nodding his head. "Shall we move on?"

Gengar nodded (Mewtwo spotting the disappointment in his eyes) before Allen touched the Mega Stone.

The same process happened again, but in reverse. Through the white light was Gengar's silhouette, changing back from his Mega Evolved form. In what seemed to be half the time, Gengar stood before them back to normal.

"That was fun!" he said, bouncing on his feet. "Can we do it again?"

"Not right now," said Allen as he disengaged the Mega Ring and removed it from his wrist. "Best not to overdo it, because we still don't know what the effect of continuous use has on a Pokémon. I think we should move on."

Mewtwo saw the excitement extinguish in Gengar's eye as if it were a campfire doused in water. He doubted anyone else saw this, for Gengar quickly said, "Of course. I don't want to interfere or anything like that." He graciously bowed out of the way as Alder stepped forward.

"So it's our turn next, right?" he asked.

"It is," said Allen, "but is Alakazam able to demonstrate again? I don't want him be overexerted."

They all glanced at Alakazam, who looked up at them and responded, _I believe that I will be able to give it another go, but I'd rather not give any more than that. My most powerful attacks are quite tiring._

"We understand," said Tim. "If you feel otherwise, don't hesitate to say so."

Allen handed the Mega Ring to Alder, who slipped it around his wrist. Again, it shrunk to fit his wrist and began to glow, this time a hue of sunshine yellow. Alakazam took the empty floor space for himself before Alder touched the Mega Stone with his finger. For the second time, a white silhouette cloaked their vision. This time, Alakazam seemed to have been raised from the ground slightly rather than sink into it like Gengar had. His feet had folded so that he was suspended in mid-air. The light exploded, revealing Alakazam's Mega Evolved form.

Five spoons were floating above him, arcing from one hand to another. He had also grown a magnificent beard, snow white and reaching his toes. He looked like some bizarre parody of a hermit atop a mountain.

The reaction was predictable; there was nothing to be said in response. For a minute, all was still while Alakazam hovered in meditation. Then Alder broke the silence.

"Do you want to give one of your attacks a try, Alakazam?" he asked tentatively.

Alakazam nodded slowly as he swiveled to face the target. Gradually, his eyes began to build up an intense white light. Without moving at all, the light shot straight from his eyes at the target. The sound that issued was, if possible, even more jarring than the first _Psybeam_. Mewtwo was actually knocked off his feet and onto the ground. He scrambled back upright.

Alakazam was the only one that was completely unfazed. He retained almost precisely the same pose as before, simply meditating in mid-air. However, everyone else except Allen was on the ground. Gengar was the only one that wasn't clutching a table to support himself up again. Tim stumbled to the laptop again and took a look.

"Good God…" he said in a shocked voice. "These stats—they're unbelievable for a non-legendary!"

It was intense. The stats had increased at least two-fold, but his special was nearly maxed. Mewtwo could barely comprehend how the Mega Stone could do this to a Pokémon.

Alder touched the Mega Stone, and Alakazam returned to his normal self. The first words out of Alder's mouth were, "What was it like?"

_Amazing_, Alakazam said. _I felt much younger, much more agile, and far more focused than I could ever believe possible. It's truly something you have to experience to believe._

Mewtwo glanced at Gengar, who nodded his head enthusiastically to confirm what Alakazam had said. Mewtwo stepped forward, raising his hand as he said, "So if I were to experience the powers of the Mega Ring, would it be any different because I don't have a trainer?"

Tim furrowed his brow in thought and said, "I'm not sure, to be honest. But I would assume you'd just put the Ring around your wrist like any other trainer would. Do you want to try it out?"

"Yes," said Mewtwo. Alder handed him the Mega Ring, placing it in the palm of his hand slowly and deliberately. He clenched the Ring, feeling the cold metal against his skin, and put his hand through it. It snapped to fit his wrist, now pulsing a deep purple. Mewtwo looked up to find every eye in the room fixed upon him. His stomach fluttered from the suddenness of discovering everybody watching.

"Well… here goes," he said bravely, and he pressed a finger to the Mega Stone.

The moment his finger contacted the Stone, his legs seized up so that he could not move, even when he tried to lift a foot from the floor. A sharp pain started in his wrist and spread rapidly throughout his body, catching him by surprise and causing him to take a great gasp. The poking of a thousand tiny needles accompanied the sudden spread of pain. He doubled over, totally disoriented by this chain of events.

Without warning, the needles were replaced by a burning sensation, forcing Mewtwo onto all fours.

Then, he felt his whole body changing shape. He could sense strange growths that wrapped atop his shoulders, back to front, and reached level with his jaw. His forearms were thickening, and ridges grew along with that and on the outside of his thighs. His feet were changing as well, no longer as thin as they had been and instead bulkier. He could feel his tail shortening slightly and stiffening. The hands felt different too; the digits grew stubbier compared to before.

And as soon as it had all started, it stopped.

Mewtwo remained on the ground, drawing deep breaths. He took a minute before attempting to stand up. As he straightened, he could hear the footsteps of the others quickly backing away.

There was much more of his body than he was used to. Now standing at over seven and a half feet tall, he towered over the rest of them as he examined his new physical appearance. Everyone else had their mouths open, looking absolutely stunned at the New Mewtwo.

Gengar broke the silence first.

"Umm… how do you feel?"

Now that Mewtwo thought about it, he knew exactly what Gengar had meant; he felt like he could do _anything_… anything that his heart desired. And it felt _great_.

"It's incredible!" said Mewtwo excitedly. "Exactly like you said!"

"See?" said Gengar, returning the enthusiasm. "I told you that you'd feel it in due time!"

"Yeah…" said Mewtwo. He couldn't believe the feeling—light as a feather, as if he could fly away with happiness at any moment. He wanted it to go on and on until he didn't have to feel anything else.

"Just a quick heads up," said Tim, moving forward from the others that were still hanging back a little warily, "we agreed that we wouldn't be testing your Mega abilities, right?"

Mewtwo hung his head sadly, "Yes."

"Okay," said Tim in a marginally more confident voice. "I don't think it would be safe to test, given the power of your _Hyper Beam_ earlier."

"I understand," mumbled Mewtwo. He touched the Mega Stone again to regress to his usual form. This time, a cool, pleasant wave seemed to have washed over him as he felt his body return to normal. Before Mewtwo had really started to enjoy this, he felt it stop abruptly.

Mewtwo opened his eyes to see Tim and Allen taking notes at top speed again. He removed the Mega Ring and set it on the table where the two were working. The Ring was no longer glowing with an aura, but the coral Mega Stone was still glimmering in the artificial light.

"Fantastic work, gentlemen!" said Tim as he dropped his pen on top of his most recent notes. "I think we can call it a day, huh? What say you?"

"I think we got a lot of work done," said Allen. He packed away all the folders and papers while he deposited the Mega Ring inside one of his pockets. "Maybe we can come back again sometime and continue research?"

Everyone nodded and murmured in agreement, Mewtwo sensing the old feelings of anxiety returning.

"If you were that powerful even before your Mega Evolution, Mewtwo," whispered Gengar as they all exited the University and stepped onto the rain-washed, streetlight-streaked pavement, "I wonder what you can do with the help of the Mega Ring..."

Mewtwo turned away, scratching his nose in an effort to not think of what he was truly capable of.


	12. Silver

"Giovanni, sir."

"Yes?"

"I have acquired the information you've requested, regarding your investment in Cerulean University."

"Bring it to me."

With much haste, the grunt standing before Giovanni placed three manila folders on the desk. Each folder boldly stated 'Authorized Personnel Only'. Giovanni inspected the appearance of each folder carefully before dismissing the grunt. As the door closed behind him, Giovanni sifted through each and every folder. Opening the first folder, pages of letters documenting Cerulean University's research were folded in a neat, compact fashion. He disregarded most of the papers, specifically searching for a certain document.

"Ah," he muttered to himself. He had found files clipped together with the note 'Mega Stone Research'. A letter written by Timothy Bishop sat on top of the files. Immediately, he began to read it:

October 25th, 2013

Mr. Giovanni,

On behalf of Cerulean University, we are truly thankful for the amount of investment you have provided for our research programs. Thanks to your funding, more than fifty projects are on their way to commercial release! Of course, the research involving the Mega Stone Project that you have requested has not been forgotten. For the past few months, experiment upon experiment has been tested, bringing unfavorable results. However, we have recently performed tests that are yielding positive results! It seems that the stone we have acquired through team member Allen Greene has been reacting well with certain Pokémon. Further testing is needed to confirm our results, but we will be sure to document a full report. We hope that you continue to be satisfied with our research and benefits toward society.

Regards,

Timothy Bishop

Giovanni's eyes widened for a moment at the words he had just read and began to grin. _It's finally starting to happen, eh? _he thought. But quickly, his facial expression changed into that of a frown._ Took them long enough to start giving me results. I've been funding this University and its projects for a long damn time. _He knitted his eyebrows, the frown still playing on his face._ That stone, I wonder if it's the same one as that time? _

He threw the letter onto his desk and rested his head back on the leather swivel chair he was sitting in. _The pieces are starting to fit together. _

Looking towards the ceiling, Giovanni began to fall deep in thought, planning his future steps carefully. The way the pages were turning, Giovanni would be able to take complete control over Kanto by the New Year. Citizens will be forced to surrender to his command, an unstoppable army with Pokémon affected by the Mega Stone will fall under his lead, and most importantly, Giovanni's old accomplice Mewtwo will succumb to his aid once again. To Giovanni, Mewtwo symbolizes absolute power; the ultimate Pokémon genetically modified for mass destruction. To have control over the world requires power. From the moment Giovanni stepped onto this Earth, acquiring the power to control the world maintained top priority. Mewtwo is the key to that power. From the moment Mewtwo escaped him, Giovanni had been planning all the necessary preparations to not only capture Mewtwo permanently, but use him at the moment of capture and thrust the entire world into chaos. To do this, it was vital to not simply search for Mewtwo, but garner control in all the other steps for world domination, leaving Mewtwo as the final step. Gaining the proper intelligence, connections, materials, and tools needed to come first. To his advantage, money was not an issue. It was almost too easy; throw money at the right people, and anything could be done.

Giovanni's thoughts were interrupted by the door to his office swinging wide open. Unlike the grunt that had timidly entered and exited the room, this young woman barged straight into his office, full of charisma. From head to toe, she seemed to be beaming with excitement, quite strange considering to whom she was presenting herself. She had long, wavy scarlet hair that fell loosely to her waist. Her clothing consisted of dark colors; a charcoal black halter top and skirt. Glancing at her with the backdrop of Giovanni's office, she seemed out of place, like a porcelain doll that had accidentally been misplaced in a woodworking factory. She dropped her bag on a chair in the back of the room and proceeded to approach Giovanni with upbeat movement.

"Afternoon, sir! Sorry to bother you while you're busy, but I had some things I wanted to ask you." She gave a cheeky smile, awaiting his acknowledgement. Giovanni sighed with discomfort before sitting up straight with an agitated glance.

"Silver, how many times have I spoken to you about your attitude in this environment? You're a smart girl, twenty-one no less. Understand your position! My daughter or not, I cannot allow you to roam these halls with such a nonchalant step."

"Sorry, sorry," Silver replied with a tease in her voice. "I know you keep busy—"

"Did you hear me? Drop the careless attitude."

Silver stopped for a moment. Her cheeky smile faded slightly before she continued.

"Sorry. I know you keep busy running one of the biggest organizations in Kanto. I'm not interfering whatsoever!" She became slightly more animated again before continuing, "All I wanted to talk about was the annual Kanto Light Show. This year, it's taking place in Ether Valley! It's tomorrow, and I really wanted to attend. Would you go with me please?"

"I'm busy," Giovanni replied curtly.

"Wouldn't you just consider it?" Silver persisted. "You've been sitting here in your office for months, constantly claiming you're working and close to results, yet you have hundreds of people out doing everything for you! I don't understand why you must lock yourself in this office. You're just driving yourself mad. Just take one day off of your "results" and enjoy some of life! It's only this one time…"

"I said no. Go off and see those idiotic lights by yourself." Giovanni pointed to the manila folders he received earlier, "My plans are coming into fruition, so I cannot afford to waste my time on nonsense."

Silver sighed. She reached for her bag on the chair and began to open it. From the bag, she pulled out a small notebook and handed it to Giovanni.

"Fine, I'm going and will return Monday morning. Here's the report of all your field squads. Just as asked, I've been observing their actions. All missions have been carried out secretly and successfully thus far. For the most part, all has gone as you've requested. Now, I'm taking a quick vacation."

"'For the most part?' Explain."

"It's nothing, really. Out of all your squads, there is one trio that causes mischief. Nothing detrimental… just strange."

"Must be those three idiots on the fifth instalment of Team Rocket, never mind them. Now if that notebook is all you have for me, you are dismissed."

"It was great to see you too, sir. I'll make sure to tell you about it when I get back."

Slowly, Silver gathered her belongings and left the office, shutting the door forcefully behind her. Giovanni let out a final sigh, and returned to his previous position in his chair. He was now fighting an enormous headache. _My God, how I wish she shared my goal and would make herself more useful instead of wasting time on frivolous things. Oh well, I will not concern myself with that now. The Mega Stone Project is nearing completion, so the time to strike will soon come to light. And that is the only type of light I wish to see. _Giovanni chuckled wickedly as he continued to read through all of his investments.

Silver, disregarding Giovanni's warning, skipped her way through each floor of the Silph Company building, making her way down to the lobby floor. Employees of Silph once nervously watched her, fearing that her insolence would bring Giovanni's wrath upon them all, but they all eventually grew used to her behavior. Silver was never permanently phased by her father, and it seemed as if she never would be. Despite any misconception, Silver is not as naïve as she appears. It's very clear to her that she remains useful to her father as an overseer, an outside source of information, as well as holding personal information that should never be released about Giovanni. It is through these factors that Silver knows she can live freely and cheerfully as long as she keeps being useful to her father. The way she sees it, as long as she performs a couple of "house chores", she can continue to live in her own world. Giovanni could do as he liked, for his goal had no meaning to her. Silver walked through the lobby and left through the front door. At the moment, the only goal she's concerned with is to enjoy the Kanto Light Show.

It was not long before Silver arrived at Ether Valley. With a burst of energy, she made her way out of the train station, taking in the wonderful sights around her. Ether Valley was different than any other town she had ever been to. There was no loud buzz of the city to ring in her ear, nor crowds of people suffocating all of her personal space like that in the city areas. There was no prestigious University like that in Cerulean. Instead, a quiet town lay before her eyes. The beautiful mountains were visible at every angle, and Chatots could be heard singing in the trees. Small groups of people roamed the streets, all giving the friendliest of expressions. Looking around, Silver knew she would be in for a good time.

Silver reached into her bag, picking out a red watch. Immediately she placed it on her wrist and checked the time.

_Shoot. It's already half past seven. I'd better find a place to stay; the show doesn't start until tomorrow night! _

Silver roamed the street-lit sidewalk, searching for any available place to stay. As she walked, she came upon a small park. It seemed as if no one was there. Of course, with night falling, it would be unlikely that anyone would be hanging around a park.

_Hmmm, maybe I can cut through this park to make it to the center of town quicker. _Without hesitation,Silver began crossing through the park. The trees around her swayed gently against the evening breeze, which was a feeling truly refreshing. She listened carefully to the sounds around her. The peace was so unlike anything she'd felt, and she wanted to make it last.

Unfortunately, it was soon shattered by a subtle crackling in the distance. Silver stopped, perturbed by the noise she had just heard. The crackling started to get louder, and voices could be heard in the distance. Carefully, Silver followed the sounds, curious as to what was behind it. With each walking step, the noises became crisper, forming into the buzz of conversation. Up ahead she could see two shadows—the source of the noise she had heard. Silver hid behind a tree as she listened to the current conversation.

"Way to go, Gengar! Wait until the others see how great you've become with your _Shadow Ball_! At this rate, we'll become an unstoppable Trainer-Pokémon tag team, and you wouldn't even need _that_ to boost your stats."

"Thanks Allen! We really do make a great team. It was definitely a great idea to come do some training tonight, especially after all we've learned from yesterday. I've been really motivated to sharpen my skills after feeling my full potential with the Mega—"

A loud thump resounded throughout the park, interrupting the conversation.

"Did you… hear that?" Allen asked. Gengar moved towards the nearest tree, checking what the thumping sound could have been. Behind the tree, Silver sat face planted to the ground. Surprised, Gengar called Allen over.

"Hey Allen, there's someone here! Come check it out." Allen quickly moved himself towards Gengar and spotted Silver on the ground.

"Hey, are you all right?"

For a moment there was silence, but the silence was soon broken by a hysterical laughter. Silver's careful attitude no longer existed, leaving only her laughter to sound through the air. Gengar and Allen stared, extremely confused.

"I'm all right," Silver chuckled. "I didn't mean to be eavesdropping on you guys, but I guess I got what was coming to me." She scratched the back of her head gently as she continued, "I was just walking through the park, when I had heard an unnatural noise. I wanted to find out what it was stealthily, but instead I tripped on this tree branch on the ground and fell face first! That's me, a real klutz."

Gengar couldn't help letting out a chuckle. Allen tried his hardest to hold back a laugh, and held out his unbandaged hand for Silver to grab it. She smiled, taking his hand. With Allen's condition leaving him on the weaker side, Gengar also helped in picking Silver back up. She was hoisted back to her feet, where she brushed off her skirt.

"Thanks," she smiled. "I'm Silver, by the way."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Allen, and this is my Pokémon and friend, Gengar." Gengar made a quick bow. "Hey, so, uh, what brings you here? I've been at Ether Valley for quite a while, and I don't recognize you."

Silver gave the same cheeky smile as ever as she answered.

"Oh! I came to see the annual Kanto Light Show! It's tomorrow, and I've been really looking forward to going!"

Allen's eyes widened as he heard the words 'light show'. With everything that had happened, he had forgotten all about it! Originally he had made plans with Mewtwo to attend, but how could he have forgotten?! Silver noticed the slight distress on Allen's face and asked, "Is everything all right, Allen?"

He shook his head out of shock.

"Yeah, sorry. I had completely forgotten that the show was tomorrow! I had made plans with a friend to attend, but now…" he looked towards Gengar. "I think I'll need to adjust my plans because I've got some more people to invite. It's great that you were able to remind me."

Silver grinned and said, "Great! Oh, on another note… I was looking for a place to stay; do you guys know of a place? It would really help me out."

"The Pokémon Center typically allows for guests," Allen answered. "If it's just for a night or two, I'm sure Nurse Joy wouldn't mind."

"Oh that would be wonderful! Thank you guys! I'll try to speak to her right now!" Silver began to dash out of the park, looking for the Pokémon Center.

"Hey, wait!" Gengar called. Silver was still running but called back,

"Don't worry! The Pokémon Center shouldn't be too hard to find. I'll see you guys at the festival tomorrow, then! Be sure to introduce me to your other friends! It was great being able to meet you guys!"

Allen and Gengar watched as Silver disappeared from view.

"She was odd, but seemed sweet," Allen started.

"Yeah," Gengar agreed, "but I couldn't really get a good look at her. It's so dark, I could barely make out what she looked like."

"Yeah, guess we'll just have to find her at the festival then to really see."

Gengar and Allen made their way back to Alder's house, where Mewtwo, Alder and Alakazam had taken the evening to reflect on the newfound knowledge regarding Mega Stones. It was still so much to absorb, the power and overall success of the Ring and Stone. As the two walked in, Mewtwo greeted them.

"Allen, Gengar, welcome back! How did your evening training session go?"

"It was going really well," Allen started, "and then we met this girl. We didn't have too much time to chat, but Mewtwo, she reminded me of the Light show! We were planning to go, remember?"

At the reminder, Mewtwo indeed remembered. Just like Allen, Mewtwo did not have the show on his list of priorities. He had forgotten that it was even happening tomorrow as well!

"Yeah, I remember. Should we still go?"

Allen looked to everyone in the room,

"I say we all go, especially if you all take it as a thank you gift for helping me with the Mega Stone Project."

"That sounds good to me!" Gengar chimed in. Mewtwo nodded, feeling nervously excited about going to his first Light Show. Alder and Alakazam also gave consent, and it was settled.

"Oh," Alder interrupted. "The light show is going to be taking place right around here. Mewtwo, Allen, and Gengar, you are welcome to stay here for the night, it's more convenient than the Pokémon Center."

Mewtwo thought for a minute before responding. He didn't like the idea of imposing on Alder, but he weighed the pros and cons. For only one night, it seemed logical to stay near Alder and the others, instead of having them meet him all the way back at the Pokémon Center _again_. Besides, they would be able to all leave for the Light Show together with ease this way.

"Thank you," Mewtwo answered. "As long as it's not a burden." Allen nodded in agreement to Mewtwo's statement.

"Not at all! Alakazam and I were able to get most of the town-related work done for tonight anyway, so it'll be a pleasure to have you."

With that, Gengar returned to Allen's Pokéball for the night as Allen and Mewtwo were shown to the guest bedrooms.

Meanwhile, after multiple twists and turns through town, Silver found her way to the Pokémon Center.

_Maybe I should have asked them for directions. Ah well, found it! _Fixing her posture, Silver casually walked into the Center and made her way to the front desk.

Nurse Joy greeted her politely,

"Welcome to the Ether Valley Pokémon Center. I'm Nurse Joy, and how may I help you this evening?"

"Hi!" Silver beamed, "My name's Silver. I'm from out of town, but I came to see the Kanto Light Show happening tomorrow. Unfortunately, my excitement had gotten the better of me, and I forgot to book a place to stay. By any chance, would I be able to spend the night here?"

"Why, certainly," Nurse Joy answered. "If you follow the back hallway and make a right, there should be an empty room. You are free to use it as you like."

"Thank you so much! I really appreciate that!"

After receiving Nurse Joy's nod, Silver walked to her room for the night. It was a plain white room, bearing all the necessities for a single night stay. Without delay Silver made her way to the bed. After expending all her energy for the day, she was exhausted. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she hummed a solemn ballad until she fell deep into sleep.

She awoke to the blazing afternoon sun shining through the room window. Slowly, she looked upwards towards the ticking clock on the wall. It read 13:00. Silver tiredly rubbed her eyes before realizing what the clock said. It took a minute before she jumped out of bed, realizing just how late she had slept in.

_Oh my God! It's already this late! I'm so behind schedule… I need to get moving!_

She quickly performed a morning routine and walked out to the front desk. She thanked Nurse Joy once again, and left the Pokémon Center. She walked in the direction of where the Light Show would be taking place. The event only happened once a year and Silver didn't know if she'd ever be able to have time to see it any other year. Thus, she wanted to set up everything she possibly could in the meantime. As she walked, she could hear the whispers of some people talking about the show. Some were making plans with friends, some with family, and others just talking about what to be expected. All in all, the whole town seemed to want to observe the forthcoming event.

As Silver approached the open field where the event was to take place, she smiled. Dozens of stands were set up for the event. Food and activities were set up, as well as some pre-show entertainment by some Pokémon and their trainers. The center of the field was left as open space for people to watch the lights when the show would commence. Silver made her way to the center, brought out a blanket, and placed it on the ground. There she sat, awaiting the events to come.

She checked her watch, noting it was only 15:00. She sighed, lying back on to her blanket. _This would be more fun if I had someone with me… but I guess it's always been this way. _She felt the cool breeze against her cheeks, wondering if she should have worn a thicker jacket than the light blazer she had brought. While she thought, she heard familiar voices approaching near she was. Sitting back up, she looked behind her to notice Allen and Gengar several yards behind her. She could see they were making conversation with a few others, and so she took the opportunity to say her greetings.

"Allen, Gengar!" she called excitedly, waving her hand towards her location. The two of them stopped in their tracks, searching for where the call had come from. Seeing Silver's hand, Gengar motioned the group to make their way towards her. She smiled, getting up from her sitting position in order to greet everyone properly.

Looking at the bunch, Silver was very intrigued by the diversity of the group. An Alakazam, an elderly man, a Pokémon unlike any she's ever seen before, along with Allen and Gengar really caught her attention. However, both groups were equally astonished. Allen and Gengar were now fully able to see all of Silver's features. Looking at her closely, she radiated with expression. While Allen seemed amused by her appearance, Gengar was slightly put off by it. Allen began to speak, so Gengar shook his suspicion.

"Ah, so allow me to introduce you to our great friends!" He pointed to Mewtwo first, "This is Mewtwo. He may look intimidating, but he's one of the sweetest people I know."

"Hello. Pleasure to meet you," Mewtwo said with a smile.

Silver paused for a moment to study Mewtwo, then returned the greeting,

"Nice to meet you! I'm Silver!"

"And then we've got Alder and Alakazam over here," Allen continued, "our unbreakable team. They're the wisest out of all of us."

Silver walked over to give yet another greeting. Alder and Alakazam were pleased, and shook her hand.

"You guys seem like a great bunch! I'm glad I ran into you guys," Silver began, "will you be staying for the show?"

"Ah yeah, we all wanted to enjoy the festival, and the show seemed like it would be something worth watching," Mewtwo answered.

"Yup!" Allen added, "And it'll be Mewtwo's first time seeing a light show of any kind. We came a bit early to scope out all the attractions and whatnot."

"Really?" Silver asked. "It's my first time seeing one too! I've wanted to come to the Light Festival for so long, but every year it was either at a location too far or I had something urgent to attend to."

"Well it's great that you're able to see it now," Allen said.

"Yes, most definitely! Actually, would I be able to join in the moment with you guys?" Silver gazed awkwardly at her feet before continuing, "I kind of… came here by myself. It really isn't as great as an experience when there's no one to share it with."

Mewtwo, understanding the feeling of loneliness, spoke out first.

"Of course! I don't see how that would be a problem." Mewtwo looked for the approval of the others, and for the most part, all were nodding. Gengar, however, seemed to have gotten lost in thought.

"Gengar?" Mewtwo said. Gengar quickly came out of his daze,

"Oh… umm, yeah. Sorry for spacing out like that. She can come with us."

"Then it's settled," Mewtwo said triumphantly. He felt a sense of joy knowing that he had saved another person from loneliness.

"You guys are too kind!" Silver exclaimed. "Alright, to thank you guys, how about I bring you all back a drink from one of the stands? It'll only take a moment!"

Before the others could give a proper response, Silver was already off, rushing towards the stands. She seemed to be revitalized by the fact that she now had some company. The group couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. Mewtwo, noticing Gengar's strange behavior, called him out on it.

"Hey, Gengar. Are you all right? Ever since we've been with Silver, you've been acting strangely."

Gengar paused, trying to place his words before speaking.

"Well, I don't quite know for sure, but she seems peculiarly familiar. I can't place who or how, but there's something about her that doesn't sit right with me. It's not fair of me to judge her off a gut feeling, because she seems innocent in every which way, but… I just wish I could place why she looks so familiar."

"We trust you Gengar," Alder answered. "If something comes up, we'll be on your side. If you don't want to watch the show with her, we don't have to." The others agreed, nodding accordingly.

"No, it's all right for now," Gengar replied. "I haven't figured out how I recognize her yet, so for all I know she could look like some mean merchant I dealt with years ago. But thanks guys, I'll keep you posted. Right now, let's enjoy the festival and that Light Show."

It wasn't long before Silver arrived back with sodas for everyone. For the next few hours, Silver laughed and chatted with everyone, getting along really well. They played games, won prizes, and had a wonderful time. Gengar, although still puzzled as to who Silver was to him, ended up having fun with her as well. As the sun began to set, the group made their way back to the area Silver had set down her blanket, and got ready to see the show.

"It's almost seven o'clock, guys! The show's going to start" Allen shouted. Silver jumped onto her blanket with joy, ecstatic about what was to come. Everyone sat together, preparing for the show. Mewtwo sat nervously, unsure as to what to expect. They had been waiting for this time for a while, and although he had been excited, now he was completely in the dark about what was to come. This gave Mewtwo a slight discomforting feeling. After all, he was always being careful of any trigger objects. Who could tell how he would react to these lights?

Silver noticed Mewtwo's face, and lowered her voice so that only he could hear her.

"I'm a bit nervous myself, but look around us. With all these wonderful people around, it doesn't matter if the show is breath-taking, horrifying, or a let-down. The fact that everyone is here together, and that's all that matters, right?"

Mewtwo nodded. He couldn't agree more. He smiled at Silver as a token of appreciation, but looking at her sparkling ruby-colored eyes, he couldn't help but wonder to what Gengar saw in these eyes and why Gengar had found Silver to be so suspicious. His thoughts were quickly interrupted by the start of the show.

A beautiful array of fireworks opened the night sky. Bursts of purple, blue, red, and orange touched the sky like a painting. The explosive sounds of the fireworks could be heard for miles.

"Wow…" Mewtwo muttered in awe.

"Oh, this is just the opening to let everyone know it's starting," Allen whispered to him, "wait until it really gets kicking!"

In that moment, the fireworks began to shift into the background in regards to what appeared next. Flying type Pokémon took to the skies, carrying beautifully lit lanterns as they soared in different patterns. Fearows used their large wings to carry more lights, some wrapped along their wings for a dramatic effect. Pidgeys carried the smaller lanterns, flying swiftly in circular motions. The entire sky was lit with lights. The calm Ether Valley now shined with thousands of glowing lights, almost as if the small town had evolved into a city. The audience cheered at the wondrous sight above them. It truly looked as if a miracle had blessed the sky.

Silver stared in awe of the show. Her first instinct was right; it was all so breath-taking. The gentle, swift movements of the Pokémon as they carried the lights left her speechless. By the time the finale had made its way center sky, Silver was unable to move. She sat mesmerized, unable to focus on anything else. With the last light finally dimming, cheers resounded amongst the entire town. Silver looked towards the others, her eyes gleaming as she spoke:

"That was absolutely fantastic! I've never seen a more spectacular show in my entire life! That's definitely something I need to see again one day!"

"It really was something special," Mewtwo added. Everyone nodded in agreement. A show to talk about for years to come, this performance was one of the best yet.

Now that the show was over, Silver began to pack up her belongings. Gengar noticed this, and realized he may not have another chance to ask her the questions he needed answers to.

"Hey, Silver?" Gengar asked a bit timidly. "Mind if we take a quick walk together before you go on your way? There's been a couple of things I've wanted to ask you."

"Sure thing," Silver replied instantly. She picked up her packed bag and carried it with her. "We'll be back soon everyone." She followed Gengar out of the crowds of townspeople and onto a ragged pathway. The pathway moved through the forest, and typically had no visitors. It was the perfect place to talk.

"So what's on your mind?" Silver asked promptly. "Man, I really enjoyed that show. How about you?"

"Yeah, it was a great show. Anyway, ever since I got a good glance at you for the first time in the light, some things came to mind."

"Like?" Silver asked curiously.

"Well you see, let's start from the beginning. What struck me oddly first was your personality. You are an all-around bubbly person, upbeat and a bit rash. Now, these traits can be great and all, but something about the way you express yourself seems a bit unnatural to me. It could be the fact that I'm a Ghost Pokémon now, so my sense of emotion is skewed, but from the looks of it, you aren't being yourself. It's like you are trying to overcompensate for something, and it makes you act in extremes you normally shouldn't."

Silver chuckled at this remark. She pointed to a fallen oak tree before replying,

"This sounds like it's going to be quite the talk. Why don't we sit on the trunk of that tree over there, and I'll answer your questions."

The two did just that, and Silver continued.

"Well… I'm sure by now you've seen the depths of this world, no? The way things are now, people are unhappy. Everyone's suffering, and there's no immediate way to fix that. Life's built under the system that humans and Pokémon must suffer in order to feel the beauty of life's goodness. Yet, at the same time, humans are also very naïve creatures. They see something eye catching and they cling to it, treat it well, and remember it. When someone unhappy sees someone happy, they can temporarily be put under the illusion that things are better than they really are. And if that illusion remains in place, less people are becoming unhappy. If maintaining a constant happy, bubbly person will make those surrounding me happy, then by all means am I to forever keep that persona."

"But becoming the illusion of happiness won't make yourself happy," Gengar pointed out. "Is that all right with you? You're essentially lying to yourself."

Silver once again laughed, but this time quite solemnly.

"Gengar, I've seen some horrible things. Worse, I continue to see horrible things, and I walk away from it. I try to live in my own world, away from the mass destruction of this one, but it's fruitless. I'll always hear the screams, or the threats, or the cries. I'll hear them, and walk away, documenting my day's find to keep those close to me informed on what's going on. There's no way for me to ever achieve true happiness anymore. However, if I can save others from turning into someone like me, then I'd gladly give up my outspoken feelings to do it."

"I understand. There are some things I wish I could un-see as well…" Gengar paused for a minute, trying not to lose focus. "I've had my share of mistakes too, which leads me to my next point; your hair."

"And what about my hair?" Silver asked curiously.

"That color... A bloodshot scarlet red. Your hair seems familiar to me, and for some reason, I can't clearly recall why. Have we—have we met before?"

Silver remained silent. Her smile transitioned into a frowning face of pity. She stared directly into Gengar's eyes.

"I won't say we've met before, because the circumstances would fit themselves into a different type of puzzle; although, I will say I've seen someone like you. A lonely ghost, who not only lost his happiness, but lost control of his heart for quite some time. His eyes were stained a wicked red, and he obediently followed the orders he was given. Orders that… I delivered as a messenger."

Gengar gasped.

"While I was possessed… you—"

"Gengar, you need to understand where I'm coming from. Remember what I've just told you…"

"How are you related to _Him? _Are you one of his lackeys too?! And you spent the entire day with us! For all I know, you could be reporting Mewtwo's whereabouts straight to Him! Was that your plan all along?!" he finished with an obvious air of accusation.

"No, I won't do that. As far as He's concerned, I saw the show by myself and that's it. Mewtwo is still nowhere to be found and Gengar, one of his finest grunts, is still MIA. Both presumed dead, some reports say."

"And how can you expect us to trust you?! How can you expect _me_ to trust you? You stood by and watched as I hurt innocent people under his control. Hell, you delivered those instructions from him to me."

Silver remained calm.

"I don't expect anything. Go off and tell your group. Tell them all and then... what? I don't believe you guys would want to kill me? You are a wonderful group of people, I truly believe that."

"Mewtwo flies off the handle when it comes to him. I don't know what would happen to you. And just as you always do, I'd probably just sit and watch."

Hearing these words, Silver frowned. She took a deep breath, and continued.

"Gengar… I know—"

"I remember now!" Gengar interrupted, now surging with rage. "You would always check up on those who were given missions by him. You'd check to see if they were done, and then hand the next mission over to be completed. If the mission was not completed, which sometimes happened if the mind control was weak, Little Miss Redhead would report it back. We'd see your scarlet hair and know that it was blood-stained from all the poor people who were exiled because of your reports. You—you're just as sick as He is."

"Gengar," Silver breathed, "listen to yourself. You are no longer living that life. You no longer are forced to choose the path of violence, yet what are you saying right now? Yes, I deserve to burn in hell for what I've done and what I do, but do you want to get your or your friend's hands dirty doing it? I die here, and He will come to this area. He knows I saw the show. I'm to leave as soon as possible to return for Monday morning. And if I don't come back? He'll start investigating. Now, he also knows I traveled alone. I go back, tell him how great the show was, and Ether Valley remains the same unknown gem it's always been."

Gengar started to calm down a bit, but remained firm as he spoke.

"And how do I know you aren't just going to make a little report now, and send it off to him, exploiting Mewtwo and I? I'm sure you know the relationship we share with Him, and he must be looking for us."

"I have no proof for you. All you have is my word, for I know how cruel life is, and I don't want to be the one to cause any more deaths. I perform my job in order to survive, but I do not wish for violence. You've met the real me when we chatted at the festival, and I was being genuine. Overly excited as I've trained myself to be, sure, but the feeling was real. The astonishment I felt when the legendarily heartless, vicious Mewtwo was actually a sweetheart; the laughs from all of Alder's stories; the amusement from Allen's wonderful way of wording things; all of that was real."

Gengar slowed his breath a bit, remembering more of Silver's character. Thinking back, when he was possessed, she did always try to make him feel good. Making others feel good, while she sat there in an inescapable trap of solitude. Forced to be distant with everyone, for her reports determined who lived to see the next day and keep Him happy. They were just reports. She smiled and handed a piece of paper to the victims each day, but she never was truly at fault for the outcome. A messenger she was, another victim. Gengar faced her now dull ruby eyes straight on.

"Thank you for answering honestly, Silver. I was too enraged to see that you were also a victim, like I was. And so, like I was freed, we will get you freed as well. I trust you, and we'll save you."

"Unfortunately I can't be saved from my own blood," Silver responded with a faint smile. "But, I can be of use to you guys."

Silver wrote a sequence of digits on a piece of paper she had pulled from her jacket pocket. She handed the piece of paper to Gengar. "This is my phone number. I always have access to Him and his supplies. If you ever need anything, give me a call, and I'll do my best to get it for you. After all, I may do as he says, but I'm not loyal to someone who won't even take the time to talk to his daughter on a personal basis. Now, I need to get going, tell the others what you wish, but I'd rather us all stay friends. I've never had true friends…"

"Alright, I will. Thank you, Silver."

Silver suddenly became animated again.

"Bye, bye! I really enjoyed the show tonight! Much more, spending the day with a wonderful group I'd like to call friends. Tell the others I say goodbye!" With that, Silver dashed through the rugged path, quickly disappearing from sight. Gengar turned around, and walked back towards the others.

"There he is!" Allen exclaimed. "Hey Gengar! Welcome back, but what happened to Silver?"

Gengar hesitated, but ultimately gave a radiated smile similar to Silver's to answer.

"She was so mesmerized by the great show, she needed to get back home to tell everyone about it. She gave me her phone number to keep in touch, and told me to wish everyone a goodbye for her."

"Ahh... and did you ever find out who she reminded you of?" Mewtwo asked.

"Yeah," Gengar answered. "An interesting girl I had met once; stricken with loneliness, but always a good friend."


	13. Number Seven

The chilly mid-November air was causing their breaths to trail away in a misty fog. Rain was driving down in icy sheets on top of the two, forcing Mewtwo to bend over slightly and attempt to prevent the rain seeping into his white jacket. Gengar, however, didn't seem to need to do anything in response to the downpour; he simply continued walking as if nothing were happening.

"I'm glad I brought along this jacket," said Mewtwo as he pulled up his hood to block the rain, fitting the horns on his head through holes in the hood. "I bet Allen didn't want a repeat of our first visit. Remember when we all came in soaking wet?"

"I do," said Gengar, looking back to the entrance of the University as they walked down the sidewalk. "The water was coming off of you in rivers, wasn't it?"

"It sure was," said Mewtwo, vividly remembering the bone-chilling cold the rain had brought. "Even for October, it was quite cold that day." He glanced over at Gengar, who didn't seem to be affected by either the rain or chill, and asked, "Aren't you cold or anything?"

Gengar shook his head as Mewtwo dug his hands deep into his coat pockets, "Not at all. I guess it doesn't affect me because I'm a Ghost Pokémon? That's the only thing I can think of, to be honest."

Mewtwo shrugged his shoulders and added, "I thought it might've been because of that, but I wasn't sure." He paused before continuing, "What's it like being a Ghost Pokémon? I mean, how are you different from when you were—err… living?"

He hadn't anticipated the question to come out as awkward as it did, and regretted asking it nearly the moment he finished. Gengar slowed his pace of walking, gazing at the sidewalk with unseeing eyes.

"I don't know…" he said in a flattened voice, "Physically, I don't feel much different compared to when I lived, except perhaps a height difference; but even that might just be from my ears. I feel lighter even though Allen said a Gengar is slightly heavier than a Clefable, which I don't understand. I've definitely noticed that I tend to shy away when a touchy subject comes up, especially if it has to do with something I couldn't control. But when I'm happy—and I mean really happy—I feel like I can just float away without a care in the world. I always try to keep a bounce in my step in the hopes that I can cheer at least someone up."

Mewtwo was touched at these words. He knew Gengar was rarely down in the dumps, but he didn't know it was because he was trying to keep up the spirits of others around him.

"Aww," Mewtwo said fondly. "Thanks for being such a great guy to hang around. I always have fun whenever I'm with you."

Gengar looked up with a grin and said, "Well I'm happy to hear that! I enjoy being with you too."

Thankfully, Mewtwo didn't feel snubbed from further questioning. There was a short pause before he continued by asking, "So what can you do now that you're a Ghost Pokémon?"

Gengar's eyes lit up at the question, "Oh, all sorts of stuff! In our last few visits to the University, Allen taught me about my abilities, my move set, and a lot of other little things. For instance, he told me that I'm able to hide in the shadows unlike anybody else. If I do it right, I can actually become a _part_ of the shadows! I'll be practically invisible!"

"Wow!" said Mewtwo. "So you'll be able to turn super stealthy if you ever need to?"

"Exactly," said Gengar. "We've been working on it at the University, but I'd like to try it outside of the test setting."

"Hmm…" said Mewtwo thoughtfully, "Tim and I were talking about my abilities as well, and he reckons that I have the ability to fly. Maybe once we're in Cerulean City proper, we can try it all out."

Gengar giggled and said, "Now you've gotten me all excited!"

They walked on, splashing in the rivers and standing water all the way to the heart of the city. Traffic was heavy, for there weren't many people that chose the freezing walk through the rain. But those that weren't piloting a vehicle had a tendency to look at the pair of them longer than was necessary, even completely stopping what they were doing to get a better look. When this carried on for well over a half-hour on their walk through downtown, Mewtwo began to feel seriously annoyed at their peculiar behavior.

"Why are they all staring at us?" grumbled Mewtwo to Gengar after a shuttle bus full of people passed them with their noses pressed to the glass.

"Well…" said Gengar delicately, "I suppose it's because of you, isn't it?"

"What d'you mean?" asked Mewtwo sharply. Gengar met his eyes with an uncharacteristically serious look.

"You're notorious—I mean famous—no, I don't mean famous…" he faltered under Mewtwo's hard stare. "It's just—you're legendary, Mewtwo! You can't expect people to _not_ take a second look."

"But why?" asked Mewtwo. "I'm not really that significant, am I? If anyone should deserve to be treated with a second glance, it's you guys. Alder's done so much for Ether Valley already, right? And isn't Allen a fantastic trainer?"

"True…" muttered Gengar, "I guess you have a point."

"Then why overlook you guys entirely?" Mewtwo pressed.

Gengar took a minute to respond, "Well, you—now don't take this the wrong way, but—a lot of these people still remember you for whatever crimes you committed. Maybe you don't, but they do. I still remember the days when the organization was taking over," Gengar shuddered for a moment.

"What was it like back then?"

"Horrible," said Gengar without hesitation. "You didn't know who to trust. People and Pokémon alike disappeared without a trace. There were some well-publicized murders, too; usually those that resisted the underground regime were killed. My father was one of them… My mother and I knew we were next, so we split up to try and shake the tail. I traveled for months, just hoping that I wasn't going to be next. Then I met Pikachu…"

His eyes glazed over, and Mewtwo could sense that he was seeing what nobody else could.

"She and I… we were practically inseparable. I met her right near Vermilion Bay and found out she was traveling as well, but for very different reasons. So we took up to each other quickly and began to roam for quite some time. She just wanted to sightsee all around Kanto, so I sort of tagged along. I always looked over my shoulder in fear that we were being followed; but of course, I didn't tell her that.

"She was always looking for the next adventure, whether it be hiking through the mountains, walking along the stretches of beach on the eastern shores, or touring some of the cities. Then—I remember it so clearly—she said, 'Let's go caving...'"

Gengar's voice shook slightly when he finished the sentence. Mewtwo had an urge to prevent Gengar from what he knew full well was to come, but the latter continued without interruption.

"We went to the Seafoam Islands because she heard that the caves were packed with things to see. But she didn't want to explore the normal caves. She found an isolated one instead, far removed from the Sea Routes that linked Cinnabar to the mainland. It turned out to be a massive ravine, must have been at least five hundred feet below sea level. And all around us were beautiful, beautiful stones of many sizes in the walls. Pikachu picked up a loose stone, the Mega Stone, and pocketed it, saying that she wanted a souvenir for their adventure. But how were we to know that those stones were so significant?

"Well anyway, we moved on to Cinnabar, through Pallet Town and Viridian City, and into the Viridian Forest. And… I made the mistake of taking point…"

Gengar sniffed. He seemed to be rapidly approaching tears.

"The forest was one of the rare places that she was uneasy about, so she asked me to go first and she'd follow. I obeyed, not remembering to keep an eye out for anything suspicious…

"Halfway through the forest, we got jumped in the dark. I heard a slashing noise behind me followed by a thud. Before I could do more than turn around and glimpse Pikachu face-down in the grass, someone punched me right in the face."

Mewtwo took a small intake of breath and said more quietly than normal, "And what happened next?"

"I don't remember," said Gengar, shaking his head sadly. "All I could hear was a very loud ringing in my ears, which makes me think that I was knocked out. The next thing I know that happened was waking up to some sort of conversation, and I opened my eyes to discover that we were in a warehouse. And then—well, you know the rest…"

Gengar's voice broke. He rubbed his eyes rather forcefully with his fists and sniffed again. Sighing, he looked up for the first time in several minutes and said, "But never mind that…"

Mewtwo had no idea how to respond, so they walked in silence for another long stretch of time, thinking all the while.

It all traced back to him; the pain and suffering of what was surely tens of thousands of people and Pokémon, lives forever altered or wiped out by his actions as well as those of this criminal organization. He wondered what it would be like if he had fought against the evil instead of with it… How much could he have changed? How many lives could he have saved? He tried to push away these bitter thoughts, but was unable to eradicate them completely. They hovered around in his mind and refused to leave him alone.

The pair of them were walking around in the very heart of Cerulean, watching the traffic rumble by, when great clouds of fog rolled in between the many skyscrapers to join the downpour of rain. The tops of the buildings were lost to the dense grayness of the fog. Combined with the relentless rain, visibility was non-existent. Mewtwo couldn't see further than one hundred feet in any direction. The suddenness of the fog's arrival startled him.

"What the—where did all this fog come from?" he asked, looking around in confusion.

Gengar gave a noncommittal shrug and said, "It looks like it rolled in from the south, so I would say from the harbor?"

"Makes sense… but still," said Mewtwo, "I've never seen it this bad."

"I dunno," said Gengar, "Cerulean's weather is always a bit iffy. Maybe you can ask Allen when we're back this evening."

The steel gray fog was nearly impenetrable and scrambled their sense of direction. They had to slow their walk and pay attention to street signs so that they knew where they were. On one corner they passed loomed a grand building, the front entrance curved gracefully with the rest of the building. There was a lot of sidewalk in between the street and the entrance, so the two only saw the shadow of the building through the dense fog.

"Cerulean City's Pokémon Center," pointed out Gengar, motioning to the billboard-like Pokéball on the face of the building. "One of the finest in the Kanto Region."

"You've been there?" asked Mewtwo, sparing the Center another glance before it was swallowed by the fog.

"Just once," said Gengar. "It might've been sixteen years since I was there last, but it was state-of-the-art. Probably still is, come to think of it."

"Really?" said Mewtwo. "What was it like?"

"It was pretty amazing, to be honest," said Gengar. "I saw technology that I never thought possible. It was all a very fluid setup; I couldn't believe how quickly everything was handled. The staff was top-notch and extremely well-trained. There were—let's see… I think three stations where trainers could easily heal their Pokémon. Then if you needed extra help, you could go to the backrooms and let your Pokémon overnight. It was some incredible stuff."

They walked another couple blocks, past the largest of the office buildings and into the more residential part of the city. Neat apartments lined both sides of the street, cars parked the whole length. They toured this area for a while, admiring the architecture of the buildings while Gengar commentated.

"Battery Hill is a nice little area, in my opinion," he said as they passed some upscale apartment buildings separated by narrow alleys.

"Mhmm," said Mewtwo, looking around. The cars they were passing sure looked larger and nicer than anything he had seen yet. He guessed that these residents had some money to live comfortably without any financial worries.

But as they passed one of the gaps between buildings, Mewtwo heard a curious sound; something like a mix between a gasp of breath and a whimper. It made him stop in his tracks, trying to listen for the sound again. Gengar was ten paces ahead when he realized Mewtwo was no longer with him.

"What's up?" he said, turning around.

"Did you hear that?" said Mewtwo quietly.

"Hear what?" asked Gengar as he backtracked to where Mewtwo stood.

"Listen…"

Gengar became very still, straining his ears to catch what Mewtwo was talking about. After a moment, he said, "I don't think—"

"Shh!" Mewtwo said, flapping his arms to quiet Gengar. They both listened in as the strange whimpering reached their ears again, at which Gengar whispered, "You mean that?"

"Yeah…" breathed Mewtwo. "Is it coming from that alley?"

They turned in unison to the gap between buildings, still cloaked by the fog.

"Sounds like it," said Gengar.

Mewtwo hesitated, then proceeded to creep across the sidewalk and into the alleyway.

It was much darker here than out in the street. They moved slowly, feeling their way along the brick walls, the whimpering and snuffling growing louder all the time. After a tense minute of silence, Mewtwo decided to break it.

"Is there anyone here?" he called.

A loud, stifled sob issued from the ground several feet to his left. When they turned, all they saw at first was what seemed to be a heap of trash bags to be taken out to the street. Mewtwo moved forward for a closer look.

Something was moving amongst the rubbish…

Mewtwo shifted aside the topmost bag and uttered a cry of shock.

Lying amongst the garbage was a Squirtle, curled up in a ball and crying. The shell was nearly broken; deep cracks ran through it, some so deep that Mewtwo could see through to the flesh. Scratches covered most of the face and arms, where some dried-up blood had run down the knees and elbows. Squirtle's eyes were half-closed and the breaths being drawn were deep, rattling gasps.

Gengar gasped from behind Mewtwo's back and stammered, "Oh my—what happened?"

Mewtwo scooped up the Squirtle in his arms. Immediately, he could tell that Squirtle was very near death; the limbs were limp and the body was shaking uncontrollably, presumably from the cold. Tears mingled with the rain that ran down Squirtle's face. The sight made Mewtwo's heart feel as if an iron fist had grasped it so tightly that it hurt to beat. His brain was beginning to flood with panic.

"No… no, no, no…" He whipped around to face Gengar as his words tumbled out in a rush, "This Squirtle—he's ill, he's injured… We—we have to get to the Pokémon Center. We'll have to leg it there if we want to save it."

"I—but—" Gengar spluttered.

"But what? _But what?_"

"We're—you mean right _now_?"

"I'M NOT LETTING ANYONE DIE ON MY WATCH!" Mewtwo roared. The anger jumped out from nowhere and made Gengar cower against the wall. "We have to get to the Pokémon Center! NOW!"

"Okay! Okay!" shouted Gengar, still turned away in fear. "It's at the corner of Platt and Sixth Street!"

Mewtwo unzipped his jacket and held Squirtle between his body and the jacket. It was like ice, but Mewtwo didn't bother to fathom the coldness. Once he ensured Squirtle was wrapped securely in his coat, he ran out of the alleyway and began sprinting as fast as he could back into downtown.

They splashed their way through the many puddles on the sidewalk, not stopping for anything. The rain stung Mewtwo's face and he could feel the rough parts of the sidewalk cutting and slicing at his feet. He ignored the pain and pressed on relentlessly, even when he could see that he was leaving bloody footprints in his wake. Nothing mattered now except getting Squirtle to safety.

They skidded back onto Platt Street and reversed the route they had taken earlier. The sparse amount of people they passed on the street stared at them as they ran by, but Mewtwo didn't care. He spared no thoughts for them, only for the Pokémon Center that was surely just at the next corner…

"That was—Fifth Avenue—back there," Gengar gasped, clutching a stitch in his side, "so the next—street—should be…"

The building cut through the fog as they dashed across Sixth Street. But as they rapidly drew closer, Mewtwo noticed something that made his stomach sink through the concrete beneath his bleeding feet; there were no lights on through the glass front doors…

To confirm his worst fears and add insult to injury, a small sign visible on the inside of the door read, "Sorry, we're CLOSED." Mewtwo kicked the door in frustration and swore loudly.

"This is just brilliant!" snarled Mewtwo. "Why now?"

"We're out of time," panicked Gengar. "Squirtle won't last more than an hour without proper attention. This Pokémon Center is closed…" He walked up and put a hand to the door, trying to open the door that would not budge. He looked back at Mewtwo, where the usual glow in Gengar's eyes seemed to have gone out. Hopelessness washed through instead as he said, "What do we do?"

"We go back to Ether," said Mewtwo. The idea came to mind as soon as he saw the dark lobby through the front doors, and it made complete sense to act on his idea without hesitation.

"_Back to Ether?_ Are you kidding me? That's an hour and a half away by _train_!" Gengar said incredulously, gesticulating violently to the north. "There's no way we'll get there in time!"

"Watch me," growled Mewtwo. "You can join me back to Ether, or you can take the train."

Frustration was obviously building quickly inside Gengar. Mewtwo saw some of the old scarlet glow return in Gengar's eyes, fuelling the latter's anger.

"_How the hell are you getting back?!_" Gengar shouted.

"I'm flying."

Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't that. Gengar was struck dumb by the sentence and struggled to pull himself back together and utter a response.

"You're—but—_what_?"

"Tim taught me how to do it. If you join me, we can fly back together."

Gengar simply gawked open-mouthed at him.

"We can't wait any longer. I'm leaving now, and you're free to come along."

Gengar closed his mouth, swallowed, and nodded his head. Mewtwo bent his knees and made sure that Squirtle was still secure inside his jacket.

"When I leave the ground, you follow. Okay?"

Gengar bent his knees obediently, still wearing an expression of utmost confusion.

"All right. Here we go…"

Without a moment's delay, he pushed off from the ground hard and shot upward into the rolling fog. He rose rapidly like a cork in water and soon broke through the fog. Looking back, Gengar joined him a moment later, and the party sailed over the land at top speed.

They glided along noiselessly above the earth in between the clouds high in the sky and the fog they were skimming. Mewtwo pushed to go faster the longer they were in the air. Soon they had left Cerulean far behind and instead were soaring with the contours of the mountaintops.

Something scrabbled at Mewtwo's chest, and when he looked down he saw Squirtle's head poking out from between the zipper of his jacket in curiosity. Squirtle's eyes were slightly wider than earlier to reveal eyes so bloodshot and puffy that they looked red. When Squirtle's mouth opened to speak, the voice issued in a high, hoarse rasp.

"Who—who are you?"

Though the voice was distinctly male, he couldn't have sounded any older than eight or nine. Mewtwo made sure he wasn't going to crash into anything before looking into his eyes and responding slowly.

"You don't need to know who I am right now. Just know that you're hurt, but you'll be safe with me."

Squirtle blinked and asked, "B—but what can I call you?"

Mewtwo paused for a second before softening the formality in his voice and saying, "Call me a friend. However, I need to ask you some questions now. Can I do that?"

Squirtle nodded with difficulty.

"How did you come to be lying in a heap of trash?"

Squirtle's lip trembled before uttering in a shaking voice, "Th—they killed Father."

The iron fist clenched around his heart again, holding it fast and making each consecutive beat more painful than the last.

"They?" he said in a constricted voice, "Who's they?"

"A bunch of P—Pokémon and th—their leader," Squirtle said in a quavering voice that rendered understanding him difficult at times, "F—father and I were v—visiting Mother's grave in the cemetery when th—they showed up. The man in f—front said, 'Give us th—the boy, and nobody gets hurt'. Father h—hit them all with a massive blast of water before w—we ran for it."

Squirtle had closed his eyes while his head sagged slightly to the side, crying weakly. Mewtwo couldn't turn his eyes away.

"We thought th—that we could escape w—with a head start, but they were too f—fast. We were b—barely out of the cemetery gates when w—we were caught up. They knocked down Father f—first, but he told m—me to run b—before they—they…"

At this point, Squirtle was sobbing so hard that he couldn't speak. Mewtwo held him closer to his body, eyes and throat burning. This was completely unfair; on what grounds did these strangers have to attack Squirtle and his father?

When Squirtle's crying subsided somewhat, Mewtwo asked, "Who did it?"

"I d—don't know," sobbed Squirtle. "I've n—never seen anything like it."

Mewtwo lowered his voice further, "What did it look like?"

"B—big and red," choked Squirtle. "He w—was flying, and when it spread out its b—body, it l—looked like a g—giant Y."

"And the man?"

Squirtle looked up through eyes even redder than before and asked, "Th—the man?"

"Yes, the man," Mewtwo confirmed patiently. "What did he look like?"

Squirtle's gaze sank in thought. It was minute before he responded, "He was t—tall with v—very short, gray hair. He looked l—like some crazy old g—guy because his smile was so b—big and creepy…"

Something painful was going on inside Mewtwo; he had no idea what it was, but it felt like he was about to witness something horrible. The anticipation rose in him like flood waters when he asked, "And what was he wearing?"

Obviously confused, Squirtle murmured, "Err… an old b—black suit and red t—tie."

Immediately, the old scars on Mewtwo's back seared white-hot and caused him to flinch slightly. Squirtle noticed this and whispered, "Do you kn—know them?"

"Just the one," Mewtwo growled through clenched teeth, "and it's about time he's had a taste of his own medicine." He looked back down at Squirtle with such ferocity that he could have scarcely believed it possible from himself. "What did they do to you?"

Squirtle was temporarily speechless under the intense gaze. His mouth was slightly open before he said, "I'm n—not sure… They kn—knocked me out right after F—F—Father died. The next thing I r—remembered was laying on s—some surface when s—someone said, 'He's useless; d—do what you w—wish with h—him.' Then someb—body smashed my sh—shell in so badly that I—I couldn't m—move. The pain… the p—pain was too much for me. I p—passed out again and w—woke up to b—being dumped in th—the alley. I just rem—member praying that s—someone would f—find me—"

At these last words, Squirtle choked and began a hacking cough that lasted for well over a minute, after which he resumed sobbing into Mewtwo's jacket.

Rage was building inside Mewtwo; his anger at how Squirtle had been treated would not remain in check much longer. Squirtle's father was killed, his mother was dead from who knows what; it just all seemed so unfair. His life was ruined in an instant thanks to the evils that Mewtwo could do nothing to prevent. He wanted to give retribution, just so that the wrongdoers could feel some tiny part of the pain that they've doled out to millions…

"Mewtwo!" somebody shouted from behind, making Mewtwo snap back to reality. He completely forgot that Gengar was still gliding along; his conversation with Squirtle had driven everything else from his mind.

"What?" he called.

"Ether Valley's dead ahead! We need to slow down for a safe landing!"

"Oh… Right!"

From between the two mountains that parted arose Ether, clear of fog and sitting snugly under the steel gray sky. Mewtwo lowered their altitude and picked out the Pokémon Center amongst the small crowd of buildings. They decelerated rapidly to come in for a gentle landing on the street that the Center was situated on.

The moment Mewtwo's feet touched the ground, his knees buckled unexpectedly, sending him straight into the pavement. His strength was nearly depleted, for he did not realize how much stamina he had used to fly himself and Gengar all the way from Cerulean. Gengar ran up to Mewtwo and seized his arm to help him back upright. Upon moving, Mewtwo discovered that, for whatever reason, his left leg was not cooperating. It dragged along behind him as he limped across the street, leaning heavily on Gengar for support with one arm while holding Squirtle with the other. The barely-healed cuts on his feet opened up again, leaving a glistening trail of bloody footprints on the wet pavement wherever he trod.

They stumbled through the front doors, Mewtwo coughing and spluttering from exhaustion. The lobby was empty except for Nurse Joy, who was sitting behind the front desk reading a book. She looked up at the sounds of their entrance, gasped, and dashed around the desk to meet the struggling group halfway.

Before Nurse Joy could open her mouth to speak, Mewtwo quickly said, "Please, Nurse Joy, Squirtle needs help right away." From within his coat, he withdrew Squirtle with one hand, delicately balancing him before holding him closer again. "He's seriously injured, and he's going to die if he doesn't receive treatment immediately." She was about to speak again when Mewtwo answered the unasked question, "Don't worry about me right now; just get him the help he needs."

Nurse Joy reached forward and scooped up Squirtle to assess the damage. Running back to the desk, she reached over it and paged over the intercom, "Patient priority level zero; immediate assistance required in ICU room number one! All hands on deck at once!" She then dashed off through the double doors, cradling Squirtle in her arms.

The moment she disappeared, Mewtwo collapsed onto all fours. His vision was becoming slightly blurred as his strength ebbed away from the simple task of standing. Gengar heaved him back upright, dragged him over to one of the couches while he peeled off his jacket for him, and pushed him into it so that he lay across the entire surface. Gengar threw the jacket over the back of the couch to air out.

"You need a lie-down," he said firmly as he sat down in an unoccupied recliner that faced the table between them. "Travelling a hundred miles taxed you to the extreme, and you shouldn't be trying anything else until you've rested up a bit. We'll wait here." He then picked up a magazine that was lying on the table, opened the front cover, and began to read.

Mewtwo had no energy to argue, nor did he have the will to do so anyway. He let his head rest against the cushion while his sore, bloody feet were propped up on the other armrest. He watched Gengar's slightly fuzzy outline shift every once in a while to turn a page before letting his eyelids fall in exhaustion.

Barely a minute later—or so it seemed to him—Mewtwo opened his eyes again to find Gengar leaning with head in hand on the armrest, gazing absently at the table. He looked up when Mewtwo shifted around and said, "Nice to have you back. Feeling any better?"

"A bit," Mewtwo admitted. True, he wasn't feeling very well, but it was much better than before he took his nap. Looking around, he noticed that there was no more light outside the many windows of the lobby. Obviously, it was night out.

"What time is it?" asked Mewtwo, stretching. As he moved his feet, he noticed that they felt a little weightier than he remembered. He saw that somebody had cleaned and dressed his feet in bandages. They were no longer hurting either.

"It's a little after seven," Gengar said, twisting in his seat to look at the clock.

"When did we get here?"

"I'd say around three-thirty."

"That did not feel like three and a half hours," groaned Mewtwo as he rubbed his eyes.

"Maybe for you," said Gengar, "but it's probably been a lifetime for everyone still working on Squirtle."

Mewtwo's heart skipped several beats. He had completely forgotten the reason he woke up on a couch in the middle of the lobby with a weight of worry and anticipation on his shoulders.

"I need to see him," he said, swinging his feet around flat on the floor. They felt tender, but he wasn't concerned about that now.

"No," Gengar said forcefully. For the first time in memory, he looked incredibly strict. "They're still working back there. Nobody at all is allowed entrance except for staff; I tried when you were asleep."

Mewtwo sank back into the chair in disappointment.

"But how are we supposed to know how he's doing?"

Gengar shrugged, "We wait."

And so they did. There was nobody else in the lobby save the two of them; all of the staff was presumably involved in Squirtle's procedure. Mewtwo curled up on the couch and was reduced to simply staring around at whatever he could lay his eyes on in the lobby, but even that lost its interest after a relatively short time. Not long after, Gengar began to doze in the recliner, his steady, rhythmic breathing acting as a depressant to the room's energy.

Mewtwo eventually fell into a torpor. He was suspended in between conscious thought and no thought at all, simply staring into blank space. Gengar looked exactly like he felt; his head had fallen sideways so that he was caught in an awkward pose between lying down and sitting upright, snoring gently. All the meanwhile, the clock ticked on, though Mewtwo couldn't have been bothered to check it.

He lost track of time as lights gradually went off in the lobby, giving the place an eerie, dark yellow glow. The only thought now that could force him through this insanity of exhaustion was, _He'll be all right… he'll be all right… he'll be all right..._

Finally, at a quarter to midnight, the double doors opened from the back halls to reveal Nurse Joy in scrubs. The noise snapped Mewtwo out of the stupor and awoke Gengar at the same time, such that both looked around for the source of the noise. Nurse Joy sluggishly walked over to the pair of them and, before either could speak, said in a wan voice, "He's going to survive."

Mewtwo breathed a huge sigh of relief. Looking into Nurse Joy's face, he noticed slightly purple shadows under her eyes. Clearly, she didn't have a single break from taking care of Squirtle through roughly nine hours of work.

"What was the damage?" asked Mewtwo. His voice sounded roughened from lack of use.

"Three broken ribs, a cracked sternum," she reeled off, "six fractured vertebrae, several cuts and bruises, a shell held together by little more than his own flesh, and a pneumonia affliction to boot. To say the very least, it's nothing short of a miracle that he is alive."

"How is he now?"

"He's sleeping, but you can't see him yet. I'll tell you when you're allowed to visit. And while we're on the subject," she said, joining Mewtwo on the couch, "what happened to Squirtle?"

"We don't know," said Mewtwo sadly. "We found him like that."

"You _found _him?" repeated Nurse Joy incredulously, "How?"

Briefly, Mewtwo explained how he and Gengar were touring Cerulean City earlier that afternoon and found Squirtle stuffed away in a back alley, how they tried the Cerulean Pokémon Center first and failed, and how they all flew back to Ether.

Nurse Joy was absolutely stunned.

"That's outrageous!" she seethed. "How can anybody be so heartless?"

"I think I know who," Mewtwo said delicately. She looked around in surprise.

"Really? But you said you found him—"

"I know I said that," he said shortly. "He told us what the perpetrators looked like, and his description matches one of the vilest combinations of trainer and Pokémon in history."

He took a deep breath before continuing.

"I think the organization is amongst us once again."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gengar shift uneasily, as if what he just heard reminded him of a secret.


	14. Home Again

The twilit forest trail was a dark one indeed, one that wound its way between mighty oaks, towering beeches, and scores of evergreens. The moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting dim, ripping shadows on the dirt. Brush lined either side and turned into undergrowth that was lost to darkness beyond the hard-packed earth trail. As if this trail wasn't confusing enough in the daytime, the near total absence of light made navigation just that much more difficult.

Good thing that Father was along for the walk.

They were side by side, ears and eyes sharp for anything suspicious. The sighs of the wind and rustles of the leaves made them turn this way and that. More than once, the breaking of a twig made them both jump.

"Don't worry, son," Blastoise said with a chuckle after the third time this happened, "I don't think it's anything we have to worry about."

Squirtle gave a nervous laugh in response, redoubling his grip on Father's hand in the dark. He returned the pressure.

"Just stay close," he said quietly.

"I will," whispered Squirtle.

Without a doubt, Father's size made him feel much safer, but his concern came from Father's weight. He wasn't exactly the most nimble and was better at meeting the challenge head-on rather than running from it. Built like a tank, Squirtle had seen Father take incredible hits before repaying the favor with his signature move; Hydro Cannon.

Squirtle stepped through some leaves, stirring them up in a gust and sending them away with the wind. He was trying to enjoy the midnight stroll, but the anticipation of their destination was starting to weigh him down. Blastoise noticed this and said in a reassuring voice, "We'll be there soon, son. It's only a little bit longer."

Sure enough, there loomed a dark shape out of the night, standing even taller than Blastoise. They turned right to approach the large, rusty gate overgrown with ivy. Blastoise wrapped a hand around one of the bars, tugged, and with a long, loud _creak_, opened the gate to the cemetery.

Once they entered the boundaries of the wrought-iron fence, a soft glow of light seemed to illuminate the graveyard. No longer were they completely in the dark like back on the trail, but they could see the silhouettes of many headstones spread out before them. In neat rows sat these headstones, some showing signs of age and weathering whilst the marble of others glowed as brightly as the moon above. The two appreciated the sight before moving forward in unison. They've been here so many times before that neither needed direction to just one grave in particular.

Past many rows of stone and marble they walked, carving deeper and deeper into the expanse of grassy knolls. Though the eerie glow of light persisted, Squirtle was not worried; rather, he was comforted by the half-light. Unexplainable though it was, there was something about it that seemed to ease whatever worries he had.

On and on they walked towards the very back of the cemetery. It wasn't much longer until another silhouette became visible, this one much larger than the surrounding headstones. It looked like another Blastoise, but slightly shorter and thinner than Father. Its head was hanging down, presumably looking at a gravestone. And if Squirtle wasn't mistaken, that shadowy figure looked quite familiar…

When Squirtle and Blastoise drew near, the figure looked up at their footsteps and gave a wide smile to both of them. Blastoise let go of Squirtle's hand and rushed forward, arms outstretched. When the figure did the same, light relieved the shadows and finally illuminated the stranger.

"Mother?" Squirtle gasped.

She looked down while embracing her husband and simply smiled.

"But—" Squirtle stuttered, "but—you died!"

"True," she said, "but does that mean I'm really gone?"

Squirtle simply had no words.

"I'm so glad I can see you again," rumbled Father with his head resting on Mother's shoulder. Tears were silently flowing down his cheeks. "I've missed you so much…"

"I missed you too," said Mother. "Five years of waiting… finally over. Now we can be together again."

Squirtle's chest felt like it was being compressed. He was utterly confused as to how this was happening.

"Wait a minute," he said with difficulty, "how—what—?"

Mother disengaged herself and kneeled down to Squirtle's level.

"Son," she said gently, "you must understand something. Just because somebody close to you has died doesn't mean they've left forever."

"She's right, you know," said Father as he joined them.

"But if you're dead," said Squirtle, trying to comprehend even a little bit of the situation, "does that mean I'm dead as well?"

"No," said Father, "I decided to take you on a visit before your mother and I go on together."

"Why can't I go with you?" asked Squirtle, struggling to hold back tears as all realization hit him.

"Because you're much younger and much more valuable than I am," said Father firmly. "You're too young to have departed just yet."

"No!" Squirtle cried out, "We have to be together! We can't be separated!"

"I'm afraid it's got to be like this," said Mother sadly, "Your time will come, but we'll be waiting for you, just like I did for your father." She smiled and kissed her husband on the cheek, the latter flushing in the half-light.

Squirtle's throat began to burn white-hot, his eyes itching and watering at the same time. It was just too much to believe that he was being left behind like this.

"But I'll be all by myself," said Squirtle shakily. "I don't want to have to live like that!"

"That's not true," said Mother quickly. "You'll have a new group to be with and a fantastic guardian as well. I've been watching him, and I'm sure he'll take great care of you. Just watch out when he gets a fiery temper going because it's hard to stop; 'passion,' some may call it…"

"Just keep your head on and you'll be fine," Father supplemented.

"I'm so proud of how far you've come," said Mother happily as she took Squirtle's hands into her own. "You've shown bravery beyond anything either I or your father could have ever asked from you. But now, we're asking just one more thing from you."

"Just the one?" said Squirtle sullenly. Father chuckled.

"Okay, two things," Father amended to Mother's statement. "One; trust your friends and your guardian, even if you don't necessarily agree with them. Their decisions are for the best of the group. You never bite the hand that feeds.

"Two; remember that we're always watching over you. Even when you feel alone, just know that we'll be with you."

"Really?" choked Squirtle through tears.

"Of course!" exclaimed Mother, "We will _always_ be there."

Squirtle couldn't contain himself. He lunged into Mother's arms and broke down completely. She wrapped him in a warm hug, one that Squirtle remembered very well even when he hadn't received one like it from her in five years. Father joined in for the group hug, making Squirtle cry all the harder.

"Shh," crooned Mother, holding Squirtle tight, "don't cry, son. It's not the end of the world. We'll see you soon enough."

How long the three of them were hugging, nobody knew. Squirtle knew only one thing; all he wanted to do was hold on, and he never wanted to let go. But slowly, Squirtle managed to regain control of himself and finally release Mother. Still kneeling at Squirtle's level, she asked, "Is there anything you'd like to know before we leave?"

"Yes," Squirtle said with a sniffle. "Is this real, or is it all just happening inside my head?"

Mist started to drift into the graveyard as Squirtle's parents beamed at him. Father's voice rang out loud and clear, "Of course this is happening inside your head, but why would that ever mean it isn't real?"

They then turned around and began walking hand in hand to the cemetery exit. Squirtle knew he could not follow to where they were going and felt helpless as he watched their silhouettes shrink away from him. They cut through the thickening, swirling mist, looking oddly impressive as they crested a hill before disappearing from view.

Squirtle sat down on the ground, gradually becoming enveloped in the mist. He thought he could hear the creaking of an old gate before being surrounded by the darkness.

The pain was incredible. It felt like he had gotten walloped by a train. He was aching all over, especially in his torso. His slow breaths felt like he was battling against tight binds wrapped around his chest. His brain felt extremely groggy and unresponsive as he listened to the whisper of voices near him.

"I still can't believe he's alive."

"Me neither; Nurse Joy and her helpers really outdid themselves."

"Nine hours, wasn't it?"

"More than that, I believe. Mind you, they couldn't take any breaks until he was stabilized; it took them that long just to do that. It was another three-and-a-half or four hours until he was out of critical condition."

"How do you know?"

"You fell asleep! You went back to the couch, out like a light! I stayed up until Nurse Joy came back out at four in the morning to update me."

"No wonder you look tired."

He was desperate to open his eyes and see who the speaker was, but he didn't even have the energy to lift his eyelids. The one slightly rougher voice he did not recognize, but the other was vaguely familiar. Where he had heard it before he was unsure, but it almost sounded like a friend he lost years ago.

It was nice and warm, this mattress was. How he wished to just sink into its depths…

"I was never more scared before in my life."

More scared… before… in my life…

Everything came back so quickly that he received an instant head rush. The man in the suit and his Pokémon, he and Father making a break to escape, and he being told by Father to run as his last words; it all flooded back in milliseconds and made his brain pound. He gasped and reached involuntarily for his head.

The surroundings went very still, the whispers had stopped, and Squirtle felt eyes watching him. He lowered his hands slowly and opened his eyes.

The sight made his insides clench and aggravate his already sorely beaten body. Two individuals—or more accurately, one Pokémon and one completely unfamiliar being—were sitting in chairs drawn up beside his bed. The far one was obviously a Gengar, even though Squirtle had only ever seen one once that he could remember. The near one was nothing like he had ever witnessed before. He was very large; if Squirtle had to estimate, he would put this stranger at six and a half feet tall. His tail was long and purple as it too was unmoving. He absentmindedly reached towards his armor-like chest and scratched. Squirtle's eyes followed his hand and he was taken aback by the presence of a mere three digits. From behind his neck Squirtle could see a strange appendage that seemed to connect the back of his head to his breastplate. When Squirtle looked closer at these two, he realized that both had heavy eyelids and shadows under their eyes. Obviously, they've been awake for many hours. Was it solely because of himself?

The near one (was it a Pokémon? He looks so strange…) lowered his hand and leaned forward.

"How are you feeling?" he asked in a voice appropriate for addressing someone on their deathbed.

Squirtle simply shook his head, trying not to let himself get too dizzy from this simple action. But even then a strong ringing deafened his right ear. He put a hand to it and discovered while doing so that an IV was in his finger. In fact, there were numerous things attached to him, including a supply of oxygen that connected with his nostrils. His entire torso was dressed tightly in stiff, white bandages. Every time he shifted, his ribs, sternum, and back all hurt at the same time.

"I didn't think so," the stranger breathed sadly. He leaned back and buried his face in his hands, rubbing it in a fashion that confirmed his exhaustion. "We're just so glad you're still here with us." He paused for a moment before saying, "But to be honest, I thought you'd be a little more restless than this."

Squirtle didn't know how to respond, so he chose to be silent. The Gengar was fiddling with his hands, constantly twiddling his thumbs and flexing his fingers in agitation. Squirtle shifted his eyes to the stranger instead.

The longer he observed, the more and more familiar the stranger seemed. He couldn't understand why this was, so he very carefully asked, "Do I know you?" in a high, raspy voice he barely recognized as his own.

The stranger looked up slowly with a hint of incredulity on his face and murmured, "Err… I was the one that saved you, Squirtle. You almost died in the backstreets of Cerulean City. I had to fly you here, to Ether Valley, because the Cerulean Pokémon Center was closed." His brow furrowed slightly before adding, "Don't you remember?"

"No—wait!" Squirtle exclaimed. Slowly, the trip in question came back to his memory. "I do remember! You asked me to call you 'a friend,' right?"

"Correct," he said with a smile. From behind, the Gengar shot them both a quizzical look.

"Forgive me for asking you, sir," Squirtle addressed politely, "but surely I can't refer to you simply as 'a friend?'"

"No, of course not. That's just silliness on my part," he said apologetically. "My name is Mewtwo, and this is Gengar." He motioned behind him while Gengar acknowledged the introduction with a wave of his hand. Squirtle tried to return it, but a sharp pain hit his side like a sword. His smile turned to a grimace in an instant as he put a hand to his side. Mewtwo noticed this and said, "Please, try not to move too much. You have three ribs, a sternum, six vertebrae, and a shell mending as we speak. That's why you have this on." He touched a finger to the stiff bandages around Squirtle's torso.

"Right," Squirtle mumbled, "thanks." He realized at once how ungrateful he sounded and made to amend it immediately. "I mean—thank you. Really, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I don't know where I'd be without your help."

Mewtwo gave a slight smile and said, "I can't take all the credit. You really do need to thank Nurse Joy and her staff. Come to think of it, I need to thank her as well…" He lifted a foot and rubbed the bandage wrapped around it, much like the ones wrapped around Squirtle.

Silence followed these words, during which Squirtle was thinking hard. How did all of this come about exactly? Maybe they could offer another side to the story?

"Hey, Me—Mewtwo?" he asked tentatively. Mewtwo turned in response and looked him in the eye.

"Hmm?"

"What exactly happened? I mean, can you tell me through your eyes?"

Mewtwo nodded and, without preamble, dove right into the explanation. For nearly a quarter of an hour he talked, explaining every detail about his and Gengar's trip in Cerulean City. Squirtle listened with rapt attention, not wishing to interrupt the orator's speech. When Mewtwo described the flight, Squirtle realized that his side of the ensuing conversation helped to ease the blurred recollection. He could see the images in his brain sharpen slightly as a result.

"After Nurse Joy told us at four in the morning yesterday that you were out of critical condition, we've been waiting around for a chance to see you; just to, you know, see if you're all right. So we came in at eight this morning and… now we're here."

"You waited? For me?" asked Squirtle, touched by their actions. "That's—I—"

Mewtwo held up his hand to silence Squirtle. The former took a moment before saying, "Did you really expect us to just leave you?"

"I… N—no, of course not…" Squirtle stammered, temporarily struck dumb by the question. But instead of scolding him, Mewtwo smiled kindly before adopting a more serious tone.

"From what we've heard, it sounds like you've no place to go in terms of family, which saddens me greatly. It was truly unfair what has happened to you in the past forty-eight hours. However, it is certainly not the end of the world. It is only the beginning of something great to come."

Squirtle frowned, "What are you trying to say?"

Mewtwo resumed his smile and said, "Come join us, and we won't have let your parents die in vain. Join us, and I will protect you more fully than you could ever imagine. Walk with us on a journey of infinite possibilities. Let me be your guardian, Squirtle."

Something jammed in Squirtle's brain, as if someone threw a spanner in the midst and stopped everything. This stranger be his guardian? Throw himself blindly into this unknown group? How could he trust him?

As these questions reeled in his brain, a memory floated through it all to the surface, so sharp that it seemed like he had only just witnessed it…

_You'll have a new group to be with and a fantastic guardian as well. I've been watching him, and I'm sure he'll take great care of you._

And quite suddenly, the worries were erased, out of sight like they had been thrown out of a window. He couldn't explain how, but the doubts were replaced by total trust in this Pokémon that sat before him. Mewtwo had saved him from certain death in the alleys of Cerulean City. There was no way that the former had ever known him, but this random act of kindness was one that left Squirtle forever indebted to his actions.

With a deep breath, Squirtle looked directly into Mewtwo's eyes and said, "Yes, I—of course. Please be my guardian, Mewtwo. I mean, how can I say no?"

"I'm so glad. Welcome to the team, Squirtle."

Behind Mewtwo, Gengar gave Squirtle a reassuring nod and added, "You'll fit right in with the gang, most definitely."

This newfound agreement overwhelmed Squirtle; just like that, he was a part of a new group, in which he would adventure with. No longer would he go on strolls with his father, but rather explore the world with Mewtwo and the others. To Squirtle, it felt as if he'd truly taken the first step to growing up.

Noticing the strained look on Squirtle's face, Mewtwo said, "Of course, we'll wait for your recovery. We don't want to rush you back on your feet."

"Thank you," Squirtle said weakly as another stab of pain hit him in the ribs, "It really means a lot."

In that moment, Nurse Joy entered the room holding different medical supplies.

"All right you two," Nurse Joy began, speaking directly to Mewtwo and Gengar, "Squirtle still needs his rest, and it's time to give him another dose of medicine. There will be plenty of others opportunities to give him a visit."

"That's fine," Mewtwo answered. He turned to address Squirtle, "Get well soon; we'll definitely bring the others along to visit as well. See you tomorrow."

"See you," Squirtle returned glumly. After watching Mewtwo and Gengar leave the room, he faced Nurse Joy. She smiled, creating conversation as she poured Squirtle's medicine into a small cup.

"That was nice of them to come and visit, wasn't it?" she asked, setting aside the cup temporarily and fiddling with one of Squirtle's IVs.

"Yes, it was," replied Squirtle. He was looking around a bit absently as he tried to voice what was on his mind. "But why does he want to know so much about me? What makes me so special?"

"He cares," Joy said simply. "I don't know if you remember, but he stumbled through those front doors with you in his arms, his stamina all but gone. He did everything in his power to make sure that you arrived here as fast as possible."

"Why are his feet bandaged? Was that the same reason?"

"Yes. He ran all the way from Battery Hill to the Cerulean City Pokémon Center, trying to get you to safety. His feet were all sliced up, so I had a helper bandage them while he was sleeping from the journey."

"That's so kind of you!"

Squirtle saw Nurse Joy smile in a tired, almost mechanical fashion.

"It's all in a day's work."

She finished with Squirtle's IVs and handed him the little cup of medicine.

"Here, drink this; it's for your pneumonia and will help you sleep. You're going to need a lot of rest the next few days to get rid of your illness."

Squirtle accepted the medicine and drank. It burned his throat, causing him to cough and splutter and make his whole body ache again. The medicine left a chill like peppermint on his breath.

"Anything else?" Squirtle asked through the coughs that assailed him.

"Not for now," said Joy, recollecting the tray she brought in, "You'll be falling asleep fairly directly because of that medicine, so I suggest you get as comfortable as you can." She was about to exit when she turned back briefly and asked, "Do you prefer a time for your visitors tomorrow?"

Squirtle gave a noncommittal shrug in response. He was already feeling the effects of his medicine as he settled down and let himself lean back. Joy turned out the overhead lights, letting the natural light flood the room. Squirtle watched the clock on the wall, eyeing the second hand tick in circles. Round and round it went, the minute hand slowly working its way past the number three. The hour hand refused to move, however; it stayed resolutely on the number nine. Though it was a bright morning, the room seemed to be slowly darkening, gradually swallowing everything in shadow. Only the clock was visible before it too was lost to the darkness as Squirtle felt himself sinking into the depths of his warm mattress.

"You know, Mewtwo," Gengar began as they walked through the town square, "I was really surprised how determined you were to make Squirtle a part of the team. Not that I object, just—what led you to that decision so quickly?"

With an aloof expression, Mewtwo answered, "Seeing Squirtle like that, I knew it was up to me to take responsibility for him. Let that man ruin another Pokémon's life? I just couldn't let that slide. I knew I'd be able to save him; save him from a broken future."

Gengar nodded, knowing full well what Mewtwo meant. To be a victim of Giovanni is something immensely difficult to recover from. Gengar and Mewtwo both were still recovering as they spoke. Changing the subject, Gengar continued.

"Hey, the others have probably been expecting us for a while now."

"Oh, you're right." With recent events, Mewtwo had forgotten all about his current agenda. "We'd better go pay them a visit then, and explain what happened."

Within ten minutes, Gengar and Mewtwo arrived in front of Alder's cottage. Alder welcomed them openly, waiting to hear the results of their travel.

"Ah! There you guys are! A bit late, huh? Anyway, make any progress?" Alder began. He noticed Mewtwo scanning the room, as if searching for someone, and said, "Allen's been spending all morning eagerly studying in the library, so I haven't seen him around too much."

"Huh?" Mewtwo asked, momentarily taken aback by all the speech that had hit him in quick succession. "I—oh, right… that's where he is… erm… Yeah, we made some progress with our move sets on—oh, dear, when was that? Was it Monday we left?"

Alder nodded and asked, "About that—what took you so long? We were expecting you that afternoon, evening at the latest."

Once again, Mewtwo told the story of his and Gengar's trip, culminating in their visit to Squirtle just that morning.

"So, you see," Mewtwo concluded, "We hardly had a chance to see you in between everything that's happened. That's understandable, right?"

"Of course," Alder said with an incline of his head. "I don't blame you in the slightest for helping somebody in distress. You did a very honorable thing, Mewtwo, and I commend you for that. It takes real character to help out a complete stranger, especially one in mortal danger. How is he doing now?"

"Nurse Joy said he's doing fine," said Mewtwo. "I said we'd all come back tomorrow so that he could meet everybody."

Alder nodded his head again and asked, "And what do you plan to do with him, once he's been patched up? Surely he can't be left on his own?"

"Certainly not," said Mewtwo. "I want to be his guardian, because he doesn't have anywhere else to turn and he's dealt with more than many people could ever imagine. I'd also like him to be a part of our group. I feel like it would be wrong to exclude him."

"That's a big responsibility, but if anyone was to be up to the task, it would be you. As long as you feel this is the right thing to do, I'll support your decision. I'll certainly ensure Squirtle feels welcome."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it."

"Oh, you might also want to stop by the library to give Allen a heads up with these new developments."

"Good point," Mewtwo said as he turned to Gengar, "Gengar, you've been accompanying me all day, so you can rest here while I go tell Allen. You deserve a break, right? I've put you through quite a bit."

Gengar opened his mouth to speak, but instead just nodded. He was right; it had been a long forty-eight hours. There would be no harm in taking a bit of a rest while Mewtwo went to go see Allen. Noting Gengar's final gesture, Mewtwo began to make his way to the door.

"All right, I'll be back then. See you guys later."

He waved goodbye to the two of them, picked up his jacket from the coat rack next to him, and opened the door to the November morning. The chill air hit him like a wall, instantly stealing any warmth he had accumulated in Alder's cottage. Shivering slightly, he pulled on the jacket and walked down the streets of Ether. A low ceiling of puffy gray clouds had drifted over the town, threatening rain like back in Cerulean. Cold gusts seeped into his jacket and edged him to move faster in response.

The puddles hadn't evaporated yet from the streets and sidewalks, forcing Mewtwo to meander and attempt to keep dry as he entered the square. In a jarring departure from what he was used to, the square was completely devoid of people. Cars sat silently, fine drops of water covering them like a sheet. Mewtwo spared the square a sweeping glance before cutting left across the pavement. The library stood just down the road, windows streaked wet and the small patches of grass around the property slippery with water. Mewtwo observed this building with tired eyes, remembering what felt like millennia ago when he first stepped inside. Mewtwo shook off the water from his feet before opening the door with a creak.

From first glance, Mewtwo immediately registered that there was nobody to be found. Even the head librarian was missing from the front desk. This struck him as odd; surely there was at least somebody around besides Allen? But never mind that, Mewtwo had more important things on his mind…

He retraced the path he took a month earlier. Everything was almost exactly how he had remembered as he walked past the rows of bookshelves. He even saw the very same book titles that jumped out at him like the first time. It gave Mewtwo a shiver down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold.

He turned the corner, and, sure enough, there sat Allen right where Mewtwo expected him. He was sitting at the table precisely where he did when Mewtwo first laid eyes on him. At this point, Mewtwo was feeling unexplainable anxiety with how eerily similar the situation was compared to his memory. Allen had his face buried in a large, leather-bound book with more books spread out on the table. Sheets of what looked like notes were scattered about on every available surface, including the chair he had pulled out to accommodate his wheelchair. Allen didn't notice Mewtwo approach, and only looked up when the latter sat down across from him.

Glancing up, Allen's impassive face immediately turned to surprise. His eyes lit up, as if he had just been shaken from a trance.

"Mewtwo! I didn't expect to see you! How did the trip go?"

Hearing Allen's voice lifted much of the uneasiness Mewtwo had been feeling. Taking a deep breath, he smiled and answered, "Nice to see you, Allen. Gengar and I were supposed to be back earlier, but we ended up caught in a little situation."

"Oh?" Allen questioned, "What happened? I've been studying since dawn, so I sort of cut myself off from the world for a bit. I could use a nice synopsis." He chuckled at his own remark.

"Ah... well… you see…"

For what he sincerely hoped was the last time, Mewtwo gathered the rest of his energy to tell the story of finding Squirtle. Allen listened intently as Mewtwo described the events from when Gengar and Mewtwo had rushed back to Ether up to Mewtwo standing before him. By the time Mewtwo finished his summation, all of his energy was drained, and the exhaustion began to set in. Allen nodded at the conclusion of everything he had heard.

"Wow," Allen breathed, "That's some way to end your Cerulean trip. You definitely did the right thing, so you certainly have my full support! We'll all definitely check on Squirtle tomorrow, but for now, I think you need some rest yourself. You must be exhausted, so don't overexert yourself."

Mewtwo slowly nodded his head, feeling the drowsiness settling. Thinking of a place to rest, he thought back to the Pokémon Center. It had already been quite a while since he first arrived at Ether, so staying at the Pokémon Center any longer would simply feel like imposing. Where would he stay? Thinking harder, he remembered Alder's initial offer to stay at his cottage. At this moment, resting at Alder's seemed to be the best plan of action.

Mewtwo yawned widely, lifting his arms above his head to stretch. In this action, Allen glanced up and caught sight of the old scars on Mewtwo's side. His gaze lingered for a few seconds, but Mewtwo didn't notice until he saw Allen's slightly vacant eyes after resuming his position.

"What?" Mewtwo asked, noticing what Allen was looking at.

"Just… just thinking…" he said in an absent voice.

"About what?"

"Well…" Allen said slowly, "You've always said that you want to undo the bad from your past. And—I don't even know if it's possible… Tim would have to do a lot of work along with some other people…"

He seemed to be speaking more to himself than anybody. Mewtwo could imagine the gears working inside Allen's head as he was thinking aloud.

"What are you on about?" Mewtwo asked, trying to press him to the subject.

Allen didn't immediately respond. He seemed to still be thinking to himself. However, he finally spoke up in a hushed voice.

"Our research department was given an artefact of technological importance quite a while ago. It was a suit of armor designed to work in conjunction with a Pokémon in order to enhance its abilities. The department's funder wanted us to take a look at it, but we haven't quite gotten around to the task. In his own words, he wanted us to try and 'unlock' the power that the suit offered. Think of it as something like power armor, just not as bulky."

Mewtwo contracted his eyebrows in speculation and said, "Right… but what does this have to do with me?"

Allen looked up, but his voice was still a bit cast away as if he wasn't entirely sure about what he was saying.

"If we were to rebuild the suit—that is, our research department would recover the key components of the armor and have our University's metalworkers and fabricators build the suit from the ground up to fit you specifically—you could use it instead of the Mega Ring if situations were ever to arise. From what you told me about your trip to Cerulean, it seems like people still remember you from all those years ago. People might try to… get you back now that you've returned, if you know what I mean. The suit will act doubly to improve your abilities and conceal your identity. Plus, the Mega Ring can be used on another Pokémon should we ever require it."

"That's all well and good," said Mewtwo, "but how much will this cost? Surely your funder wouldn't be too impressed if you go flaunting his money like that?"

"Money's not a problem," Allen said quite baldly. "He always tells us that we don't have to be cautious with it. Don't worry about that part."

Mewtwo hadn't realized that he was sitting on the edge of his seat, leaning forward with elbows on the table. Apparently, the subject was interesting him more than he had anticipated.

"How long will it take?" he asked eagerly.

Allen shrugged before saying, "I dunno… three, maybe four weeks. You can come into the University when it's finished to test it out. You can even meet the rest of our team while you're there."

Excitement was quickly stealing through Mewtwo. He no longer felt tired; on the contrary, he wanted to take action as soon as possible.

"Sign me up!" Mewtwo said with a grin, and the two of them began to discuss this newfound idea in finer detail.


	15. Curiosity

A lot occurred over the next few weeks. Squirtle finally got to meet everyone, including Tim (who took a great interest in Squirtle when Allen called to offer him a visit to Ether). In Squirtle's slightly crowded room, Mewtwo noticed a marginal improvement in the poor soul. Even though Squirtle seemed a bit worried about meeting so many people at once, he seemed to be enjoying himself as he spent some time getting to know everyone more thoroughly. Mewtwo came back to visit every single day and try to warm up as much as possible to the Pokémon that lost so much in such a short period of time.

Tim was delighted in Allen's idea to fabricate Mewtwo a suit of armor. Almost straight away, he began talking of ideas for materials, fabrication methods, and the sheer amount of technology that would go into this amazing suit.

"So I've been looking at materials," Tim said in a hushed voice later that day in the library. Looking very out-of-place in a warm, black sweater instead of his white lab coat, he had Allen and Mewtwo at a table spread with books again. "I've been researching stainless steel, aluminum-titanium mixtures, everything. We need something that will be strong, but very light and very rigid."

Mewtwo, who was flipping through a book of Silph Company's inventions, looked up in interest.

"Were you thinking of anything in particular?"

Tim bit his lip in thought and said, "I'm not sure yet… I've considered fiberglass or maybe plastic for their cheapness, but they might not be strong enough."

"Well, whatever you think is appropriate," Mewtwo said, resuming his reading pursuits.

Perhaps it was because he said this in an unintended castaway tone, but Allen froze in place. After a pause, he said, "You know we value your opinion, right? This is going to be _your_ armor. Surely you don't want it to be built from something that's uncomfortable or non-functional?"

Realizing his mistake, Mewtwo rushed to say, "I didn't mean to insult you or anything, not at all! I'm just—you guys know much more about this than I do. I don't want to interfere or anything."

"We still care about anything you may have to say," Tim said simply.

"I guess like you said," Mewtwo said to break an awkward silence, "strong and very light works great."

The next day, the three of them traveled to Cerulean University and continued work on the developing ideas. They had returned to their team's office, which was still mysteriously missing the other two team members.

"They'll be here soon enough," said Allen after Mewtwo commented on why he hadn't seen them yet. Both of them were crunching numbers and measurements into their desktops while Tim was simultaneously creating sketches on separate paper. "They're—oh! I never told you! The two of them are here on a long-term exchange trip from the United States. The high school they attend offered an advanced studies program abroad, and Cerulean City took them in! They're the brightest students of their class. They've flown home to spend Thanksgiving and the month leading up to it with their families."

"That's nice," Mewtwo said. He waited a moment before asking, "What are they like?"

Tim chuckled to himself before responding.

"Each is unique in their own ways, like all of us are. Both of them are quite polite, but Bryce is a bit cautious about befriending others; something about 'trust issues,' he told me not too long ago."

"I'll change that," Mewtwo said to himself with a sly smile.

"But Mr. Griffin is very versatile," Tim continued. "As he put it, he's 'a jack of all trades, but a master in none.' Even though Bryce will refuse to brag about his own intelligence, Stephanie will go to no ends about how smart he is. Truthfully, he's not really a go-getter like Stephanie because he prefers the backseat. More room to spread out, you know."

After another pause, Mewtwo asked, "And what about Stephanie? What is she like?"

"Nearly the complete opposite," Allen said at once. "Miss Fuller wants to be friends with a lot of people, so she's much more social to strangers than Bryce is. The only unfortunate thing is that she's involved in a lot of other activities, so Stephanie can't spend as much time as she'd like with us. But somehow, she still gets the work done. Bryce, on the other hand, spends the most time here out of all of us aside from Tim. Sometimes he'll come in as early as six o'clock and won't leave until long after everyone else has left."

"Interesting…" Mewtwo said slowly. For some reason, meeting this Bryce guy didn't interest him as much as meeting Stephanie. Though Mewtwo had no idea what either looked like, he imagined Bryce in shirt and tie with a frosty, inflexible manner and Stephanie as somebody that would rather wear sweats. He amused himself for a moment, picturing the two of them as a foil to each other based off of Tim and Allen's descriptions.

After another few visits within the week, they had everything they needed to begin building the armor. Seeing that Mewtwo was no longer required, Tim and Allen spend nearly every day over the next few weeks overseeing the process of fabrication by others in the University. To keep Mewtwo surprised, neither gave any tells as to what the suit would look like or how it would perform, but both assured him that he would be blown away.

In the first week of December, many good things happened nearly simultaneously. After a vigorous regime of medicine and therapy, Squirtle was released from the Pokémon Center in full health. He looked infinitely better, save the shadow of a large crack traveling down the belly of his shell. On the same day, Nurse Joy told Allen that he would no longer need his wheelchair. Both of them celebrated by taking a long walk in Ether Valley along with everyone else. Even though Allen used a walking stick as a precautionary measure, he was still delighted to be up and around again. To cap off all the good news, Tim returned later that evening from Cerulean to say that Mewtwo's suit of armor had finished fabrication and was ready to be tested.

"Then we go tomorrow!" Allen exclaimed to general cheers and applause.

And so they did. All of them took the first train to Cerulean, traveling through the morning's pre-dawn half-light. Everyone was talking all the way, excitedly speculating with each other while Allen and Tim smiled on. Both still wanted to keep it a complete surprise, so neither gave any more hints about the armor.

After the train ride, the group walked through the University's front doors just as the sun rose over the horizon, temporarily casting everyone in a warm, orange glow. They all went downstairs to the labs, where the hallways were nearly devoid of people. Truthfully, Mewtwo was quite unsurprised at this, for it was barely seven o'clock in the morning. Tim had asked for some help in their office, so Mewtwo and Gengar followed him while the others traveled to the same lab they had always used.

When they approached the office, they found the door unexpectedly open and light spilling out into the hallway. All three quietly looked in.

Opposite of the door and sitting at the desk in a leather swivel chair, a tall and lanky teenager wearing the standard white lab coat had his back to the onlookers. His brown hair was short and well-kept as if it had recently been washed and trimmed. A sports jacket was hanging on the hook in place of his lab coat. He had a pen in hand and was speaking quietly to the Blaziken that sat beside him. Both were looking at the computer monitor, where something that seemed like blueprints was being shown.

"Look at these similarities," the young man spoke softly in a deep voice that contradicted his age. It nevertheless carried across the room to the wide-open door. He gestured with his pen to the monitor and to the papers spread out on the desk before them and said, "I took a good look at what we were given and made the best drawings that I could. Take a look for yourself between the old and the new."

Blaziken looked between the sheets and the monitor, his head darting back and forth to look at the two as if he were watching a tennis rally. After a few moments, Blaziken whispered, "Yeah, I see what you mean… it's almost uncanny how close these two examples are. That's very interesting…"

"Right?" the young man said excitedly, "Maybe we can do some digging together. I'm intrigued…"

Both continued to look at the monitor and papers, lost in thought and unaware that the others were still standing in the doorway. When Mewtwo looked closer as much as his eyesight could allow, the images on the screen seemed to resemble something like armor. It took just a second longer for what he was seeing to click in his brain; those were the blueprints to _his_ armor!

At this point, Tim finally knocked on the open door to draw the attention of the young man and Blaziken. Both turned in unison, revealing their faces for the first time.

The teenager's face was long and thin, as if someone had placed their hands on either side and pushed as hard as possible. He wore black plastic glasses with lenses that were quite thick, behind which he had sharp eyes. Underneath the lab coat was a blue dress shirt unbuttoned several inches from his neck, and underneath the dress shirt was a white t-shirt. He wore gray dress pants and black loafers, which Mewtwo assumed were to compliment the sports jacket now hanging on the coat hook. He was quite skinny, slouched slightly as if he desired to drop an inch or two from his height, and didn't look to weigh very much. But otherwise, he was projecting a strange aura of professionalism mixed with a desire to prove himself.

Blaziken's demeanor was quite similar to the teenager sitting next to him. His eyes were so sharp and keen that they looked hawk-like (which, Mewtwo thought to himself, probably were). In addition, something about his eyebrows gave off the impression that he was angry or perhaps frustrated. His height was roughly equal to who he sat beside, if not just a shade taller. Save the minor detail of being liable to be pissed off by nearly anything, he looked just like Mewtwo expected a Blaziken to appear.

There was a moment in time where everything stopped. The two in the office were scanning the eyes of the three that were looking in. The keen brown eyes and the even keener yellow eyes traded glances with the blue, burgundy, and purple ones. The gazes tangled so much that Mewtwo lost track of who was looking where or even if they were looking at all.

Another second passed before Tim's face split into a grin.

"Didn't expect you here so soon, Bryce!"

Likewise, the teenager's face also broke into a wide smile as he leapt up from his chair and hurried forward to shake Tim's hand.

"It's such an honor to be here again, Tim. You know how much I love this place!"

Bryce glanced around at the others, slightly confused, and asked, "Who are your friends?"

"Ah," Tim started, "This is Gengar, Allen's Pokémon…" Bryce shook Gengar's hand with kind eyes and a nod of his head. "And this is Mewtwo; we're all here so that we can test the armor we've gotten fabricated for him."

Mewtwo extended his hand to shake Bryce's, which were cold and dry. However, there was something different about the look in his eyes. Mewtwo fancied that he saw hunger in Bryce's gaze, like the latter was looking at an object on display at auction that he strongly desired.

"Finally," Bryce mumbled, eyes still boring into Mewtwo's, "I get to meet the legend. I'm so humbled to meet you at last."

And then quite suddenly, the hungry look was gone. Mewtwo didn't know how to react, so he simply said, "Nice to meet you too."

The Blaziken had stepped forward and was eyeing them all with his sharp eyes. He didn't speak, but seemed to be waiting for Bryce to introduce him.

"This is Tobuscus, my Blaziken," Bryce said, gesturing towards him. "Tobuscus, this is Tim Bishop, Gengar, and Mewtwo," he said as he pointed to each one respectively. Tobuscus the Blaziken shook hands as they were introduced, a smile playing on his beak all the while. His eyes remained unchanged throughout, causing a cruel, cold look to join the smile and worry Mewtwo slightly. Combined with his talon hands that felt like ice, the first impressions weren't very good in the handshake. But of course, Mewtwo kept his thoughts to himself, and to himself only.

"Pleasure to meet you all," Tobuscus said with a hint of a squawk in his voice. Mewtwo glanced over and caught a glimpse of Gengar's face when he shook hands with Tobuscus. A flicker of fear passed, but disappeared just as quickly. Mewtwo could tell that Gengar was sharing his feelings.

"This was delivered before I arrived," said Bryce, pointing to several large parcels by the door that had so far gone unnoticed. They were packed in plain brown boxes and marked for interdepartmental mail. "I think we all know what's in there," he added with a sly grin.

"You're quite right," Tim said. "If you two want to join us, we're going to go and make sure the armor works."

"We'd be delighted," said Bryce and Tobuscus simultaneously. Without question, both picked up all of the boxes and looked expectantly at the group, waiting to be led on. Tim raised an eyebrow before chuckling and leading them all to the same lab they've always used.

When they entered, it was to find Squirtle waving animatedly to Mewtwo clear from the other side of the room. But when he caught sight of the two new faces, he stopped fairly quickly. Bryce and Tobuscus traded confused glances that went unnoticed.

"How's everyone treating you?" asked Mewtwo quietly after he had sidled up.

"Good," said Squirtle. He looked again at the new faces and lowered his voice further, "Who are those guys?"

"That's Bryce and his Blaziken, Tobuscus," Mewtwo said. "They're really nice, so please be on your best behavior around them. Remember to treat others the way you want to be treated."

Squirtle nodded vigorously and said after a moment, "Allen was chatting with me a bit earlier, and he said Tim would like to work with me on my battling from time to time. Is that okay with you?"

Mewtwo kneeled down, nearly to the floor so that he was level with Squirtle, and said, "Only if it's okay with you. Personally, I'd love for you to learn some new moves and stuff. I think it's a great idea!"

"Awesome!" exclaimed Squirtle. "I'll tell Tim!"

He ran excitedly to Tim, attracted his attention, beckoned him to crouch, and whispered in his ear. While this was going on, the large boxes were being unpacked on nearby tables. As contents got unpacked, Mewtwo caught sight of his brand new suit of armor for the first time.

It was stunningly beautiful. The smooth, glossy surface defied what was underneath; a fine cross-woven texture of black and gunmetal gray strips. There were surely thousands of these tiny strips, for the effect of the weave was mesmerizing. Dark purple highlights edged nearly every piece of armor. One highlight in particular caught his eye; a single pinstripe on the helmet ran from the top of the blacked-out visor to the back of the head. Mewtwo was speechless at the sight.

"Made entirely out of carbon fiber reinforced polymer," said Tim, whom Mewtwo had not notice approach. "That suit is one of the greatest pieces of technology we've ever had created. The whole thing only weighs about twenty pounds, and it's unbelievably rigid. Even better, we've packed the most advanced technology into the battle mechanisms. The central computer chip taps directly into your brain to work with your situational awareness, amplify your senses, greatly increase the rate of evading attacks, boosts your physical and mental abilities and toughness, and scores of other incredible things. Try it on!"

Gingerly, Mewtwo picked up the helmet from the table. He immediately registered that it was extremely light. He caressed the helmet in his hands, feeling the glasslike surface slide effortlessly over his fingertips. The carbon fiber glinted spectacularly under the glare of the overhead lights. His fingers followed the ridges in the helmet, accentuated by the dark purple highlights. He turned the helmet on its head and let the light flood inside. Hundreds of miniscule blue wires lined the inside, integrated with the shell holding the carbon fiber together. It looked like a network of neurons. Without waiting a second longer, Mewtwo lowered the helmet over his head, temporarily enveloping his vision in cool, dark shadow.

Surprisingly, his field of view was unimpeded by the addition of his headgear. After just a second, Mewtwo could see as if he weren't wearing the gear at all. He looked around at the others, who had eyes for nothing but him. Tim and Allen had a wide grin on his face as their eyes seemed to sparkle. Squirtle looked on with his mouth hanging slightly open in awe. Bryce, Tobuscus, Alder, Alakazam, and Gengar were simply dumbfounded.

"Now what?" asked Mewtwo. His voice came out slightly muffled and echoed from behind the helmet.

"Turn it on!" said Tim. "It's all commanded by your thoughts, so there's no chance of it misinterpreting instructions! All you have to do is tell it 'power on.'"

"Erm… okay…" said Mewtwo uncertainly. Could he really operate this powerful piece of technology with just his thoughts? It seemed far too incredible to be believable. But, he did as he was told.

_Power on,_ he thought.

Instantly, his vision flickered as if he were watching through a television screen that changed channels. Next moment, a large block of text filled the left side of his vision. At the top sat the Silph logo; a beautifully rendered Pokéball framed by the blade of a sickle on one side and carved by a sleek letter S on the other. Joining it, written to the right in bold letters, were the words 'SILPH TECHNOLOGIES GK.' It headed a lengthy list of much smaller text that was scrolling up and out of sight so quickly that Mewtwo couldn't get a good look. However, from what he could glimpse, it looked like a list of startup checks the system was going through. The text was first written in English followed by the Japanese translation directly after the statement. Mewtwo guessed that Bryce had written the code; why else would it be in English?

Some of the text flicking by was highlighted red, confusing Mewtwo slightly. However, the startup checks were completed, causing the Silph logo and text to disappear. A small list of flashing orange statements bulleted by warning signs replaced it. The first read, "Chestplate not connected—ensure this article is being worn to initiate connection." The rest followed this format, referencing different pieces of the suit like the hand guards, legplates, ankle cuffs, and the tail guard. The rest of his heads-up display sat nicely on the edges of his field of view, not obstructing his vision at all. An intricately blank circle of transparent blue was being shown in the bottom-right, presumably to house something while the combat system was active. The time and battery charge rested in the top-right while a miniaturized Silph logo joined the notifications in the top-left. Mewtwo was absolutely stunned by everything he had seen so far.

"Is it working?" asked Allen tentatively.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Mewtwo, "It's incredible! Can you guys help me put on the rest of the suit?"

Tim, Bryce, and Tobuscus nodded in response. They all grabbed a piece or two at a time and started to attach the different parts of armor while Mewtwo held his arms out to facilitate the process. Tim strapped the light but bulky chestplate to Mewtwo, securing the front and back plates snugly to the latter's body. Tobuscus linked the hand and forearm guards around Mewtwo's wrists while Bryce crouched to fit the legplates, tail guard, and ankle guards.

The tail guard was a bit unique compared to the other pieces of armor; because Mewtwo's tail was positioned as it was, the guard was worn around his waist so it could offer its full protection. The guard narrowed through his legs and attached to the entire back of his tail by encircling it with many ribs of carbon fiber, ending in a cap for the tip of the tail. Because the ribs were separated by space, his tail was still highly flexible while given the added benefit of extra strength and rigidity. Even more incredible was the fact that the ribs clasped automatically once Bryce properly positioned the guard, as if they were rearing to get to work as soon as possible.

In the corner of Mewtwo's eyes, he saw the notifications steadily disappear as the different components of the suit were added to his body. Each statement eventually changed to 'Checking…' and disappeared. Once everything was connected, the words 'System Ready' were displayed at the top of the HUD.

"Wow…" Mewtwo breathed, staring down at his hands. So seamlessly were the shields attached to his wrists, guarding his hands and forearm with beautiful carbon fiber. His gaze shifted past his hands to his feet, taking in the legplates and the ankle guards. The slick black legs matched the contour of his own, masking his legs like a shell. The anklets functioned like the wrists, reaching to his toes and covering what the legplates exposed. He felt the chestplate like he did the helmet, his fingers traveling over the exceptionally smooth and glossy polymer surface. The ridges and contours precisely matched those of his own chest, highlighted by the purple pinstripes.

Mewtwo was in total awe at the suit and its complexities. Not a word escaped his lips as he soaked in the suit's beauty and elegance. He looked around at the others and saw nothing but faces that reflected what he was feeling. What was the potential of this amazing suit of armor?

It was time to find out.

Mewtwo turned to address Tim and Allen, moving as naturally as if he wore no armor at all, and asked, "So what's first?"

"Well," said Allen, "I suppose the first step is to activate your assist programs. Open up the options menu with the command 'options,' if you will."

Mewtwo obeyed as Tim pulled an instructions booklet from the boxes and joined Allen's side. Bryce sidled over somehow and peeked over the shoulders of the two.

An options menu had appeared in Mewtwo's sight, presenting a list of text with every couple lines preceded by a blank checkbox. His eyes roved down the list as phrases popped out at him, like 'Boost Jump,' 'Air Dash,' 'Stamina Management,' 'Power Management,' and scores of others. He looked past the list to the three skimming the manual.

"Okay," said Tim, holding the manual closer so that the others could read, "Let's try something… look up 'Assisted Targeting' and switch it on."

The list scrolled, obeying Mewtwo's thoughts rather than physical input. He ticked off the Assisted Targeting option.

"Now what?" asked Mewtwo.

"See if it's working," said Tim simply.

"I don't think—_oh!_"

The moment he exited the options, everyone standing around him became highlighted in a blue aura, denoting that they were allies to the system. But what truly amazed him was that, though half of Allen's body was hidden behind a table, he could still see a blue outline of where his legs and feet were through the surface.

"Wow!" said Mewtwo, "I can see people through solid objects!"

"Correct!" said Tim. "The Assisted Targeting helps to highlight friends and foes alike, making it much easier to distinguish between the two. It will also assist your accuracy and deliver the most effective attack possible. The shortcut for this option is the command 'ATS on/off.'"

They went through the entire options list, Tim describing what each option did while Mewtwo decided which ones he wanted to turn on or off. His suit was soon fully customized to his liking, including additions to his HUD that measured his stamina, internal body temperature, and heart rate. A nifty addition was a small space that served as a "rear view mirror," allowing him to see directly behind his head.

"This is _so_ cool!" exclaimed Mewtwo. Though none of the others could see his face, he was smiling from ear to ear.

As he was looking around at the others, something on the outskirts caught his eye. There was a tall cabinet with the door ajar, and inside was something sleek and metallic reflecting light in the dark space it resided in. Mewtwo narrowed his eyes, trying to get a closer look.

_Magnify_, he thought.

His vision zoomed in like looking through a pair of binoculars. He looked the cabinet's ajar door up and down, attempting to distinguish what was inside. Through the thin sliver, he couldn't distinguish much more than before. However, what he could see upon closer inspection looked like steel or aluminum that had worn its luster from age. At exactly his eye level, this metal was carved by a strong reflection in black-tinted glass. It looked like the black glass was fixed to the metal in some manner… like a visor…

What was behind those doors?

"What do you think, Mewtwo?"

"Huh?"

"I said what do you think?" asked Bryce.

"About what?"

Bryce paused for a second before saying, "I asked if we should wrap it up for the day, and we wanted to know how you felt."

"Oh…" Mewtwo mumbled. "Yeah, that sounds good. Sorry," he said apologetically.

"No problem," said Bryce. "Now, the next thing we wanted to ask you was—"

Unfortunately, he was cut off by a sudden bang. Everyone turned quickly to the door to catch a glimpse of someone accidentally tumbling over the threshold. She fell flat on the ground but quickly picked herself up, straightened, and said with little breath, "I'm so sorry I'm late, guys, I forgot the time and I was up late last night and—"

She stopped abruptly at the sight of so many people in the room staring at her.

Immediately, her face flushed from embarrassment. She scanned the room, observing all the unfamiliar faces around her. Aside from Tim, Allen, and Bryce, none of the other faces were recognizable to her. As she walked towards the group, her full attention was caught by the armor. A glistening spark of excitement filled her eyes.

"Wow! The armor came out beautifully!" the girl exclaimed. Before continuing, she paused, turned toward all of the unfamiliar faces, and smiled.

"Allow me to introduce myself, especially after interrupting such a wondrous moment. I'm Stephanie, but feel free to call me Steph." She pointed to Bryce, Allen, and Tim, and said, "I have the honor of working on the team with these fantastic guys!"

Everyone simply watched as Steph made her way around to properly greet each person. One at a time, she individually shook hands with the new faces, smiling and laughing as she did so. Greeting Mewtwo last, she happily walked up towards him.

"It's such a pleasure to finally meet you, Mewtwo! You've been quite the center of attention around here, so I'm glad to meet you in person!"

"It's nice to meet you as well," Mewtwo answered, slightly taken aback by how open Steph seemed.

Mewtwo took the time to carefully observe Steph's features. Looking at her face, he peered through her hazel eyes, trying to read through her expression; but, he was unable to properly reach a verdict as to what lay beyond her friendly eyes. A thin coat of eyeliner masked the top of her eyes along with a bit of mascara. Her lips were glossed with a pale pink color, a simple accent to her pale skin. Her straight, dirty blonde hair fell loosely about six inches past her shoulders. As for clothes, a hint of a graphic t-shirt could be seen from under her lab coat, which matched well with her black slacks.

While Mewtwo continued to inspect her appearance, Steph reached into a small tote bag that she carried with her.

"And with all the commotion, I almost forgot!"

From her bag, she pulled out a notepad. At first glance, the notepad seemed filled with different diagrams and captions. Carefully, Steph flipped through the crisp pages until she found the page she needed.

"I may have come late, but I did obtain a bit of useful information in my absence! Within this notepad, I took notes of ideal places to field test Mewtwo's armor. Of course, I know traveling back and forth from Ether Valley must be a pain, so I found a few spots right in Ether Valley that would be the perfect candidates for a field test!"

Steph smiled and turned towards the team, as if seeking for approval. Seeing positive reactions from the others, she continued, pointing to a specific page in the notepad.

"So, using this notepad to determine the precise location, we can begin field testing whenever it is convenient. I recommend this mountainous region; this way, we can observe how well the armor reacts under different elevations."

"That's sounds like a great plan to me," Tim chimed in, "And maybe you can bring Glaceon along for us to test different climates as well."

Steph grinned at the mention of Glaceon and nodded her head.

"Certainly! Anyway, we have plenty of time to discuss the details. Mewtwo, why don't you let us know when you're up for some field testing, and then we'll take the trip down to Ether?"

"Sure, that definitely sounds good."

"Oh, in that case, Mewtwo" Bryce began to add, "it'll be best if you take the armor with you back to Ether. This way you'll become more accustomed to it, and it'll be one less thing to bring from the University up to Ether Valley when we begin the field tests."

"Ah, well... thank you," Mewtwo answered, somewhat at a loss for words how to respond to such a suggestion.

"Great! Seems as though today has been pretty successful then, so why not wrap up for the day?" Allen said as he organized the day's paperwork to return to Ether. "Bryce, Steph, and Tim, I'll be sure to call in when we're all set back at home for the tests."

"Great!" Steph replied cheerfully. "I definitely look forward to it!"

"As do I," Bryce added. "I'm always available, so just give me a call."

With that, Mewtwo and the others gathered their belongings, and prepared to head home. Wrapped securely for transport, the armor lay in Mewtwo's hands. Mewtwo took the utmost caution as he carried the armor back to Ether, like he was carrying a small child.

Once the group had successfully returned to Alder's cottage, the first priority found itself in keeping the armor in a safe place. Behind one of Alder's paintings located on the back wall of the cottage, Alder pointed out a small latch to Mewtwo. Lifting the latch, a cavity in the wall was revealed; the perfect place to store the armor.

"We can keep the armor here until it gets used again. What do you think?" Alder asked.

Mewtwo, although grateful for the offer, hesitated. Taking a breath, Mewtwo answered, "This is definitely a great place for it; however, I feel that this armor is my responsibility, and it will be best to keep it in an area of easier access. Thank you for the offer, but I'll just keep it with me for the night."

"Completely understandable," Alder said. "Whatever suits you best."

A second passed before his lip twitched into a smile and Mewtwo burst out laughing at his words. Within a few minutes, Alder covered the cavity back with the painting and wished everyone a good night. The lights to the cottage dimming, Mewtwo made his way to the guest room that was temporarily his.

Several hours later, Mewtwo lay in bed, staring at the dark ceiling and unable to fall asleep. His mind was buzzing with activity, rendering rest quite unobtainable for the time being. The image of that cabinet with the strange contents hovered on the edges of his mind. His insides were burning with curiosity as to what it could possibly be. His eyes fell to the luminous alarm clock standing on the bedside table. It was nearing twelve.

_How about a midnight stroll?_ Mewtwo thought to himself.

The bed creaked quietly as he sat up and tried to not make noise. His suit of armor was neatly arranged on the carpet near the space heater, both illuminated by the winter moonlight pouring through the window panes. He collected his ID lanyard and the helmet and lowered both over his head, starting up the system in the process. As the computer chip booted up, he began to strap the armor to himself.

It was much slower work than back at the University. He had to be careful, for he was still inexperienced with his own armor. Gradually, he worked out the different components in the half-light and wore them in their proper spots. Thankfully, the tail guard wasn't nearly as difficult to wear as he thought it would be; as soon as he buckled it around his waist, the carbon fiber ribs did the rest to connect with his tail. Eventually, he was suited up and ready to go.

Gently, Mewtwo eased open the window that led to the sloping roof of Alder's cottage. He squeezed out onto the roof, closing, but not latching, the window behind him. The moonlight glinted off his armor, framing him impressively in a silhouette against the dark trees surrounding Alder's cottage. Mewtwo knelt down to ensure his balance on the asphalt shingles, feeling its residual warmth and gritty texture on the soles of his feet. He accessed a map of Ether Valley and zoomed out to find Cerulean City. Using this map, he determined his course to be bearing slightly west of south. He added the map to his HUD and, without another moment lost, pushed hard from the roof and rocketed into the sky.

The cold wind whipped his exposed skin as Ether rapidly shrank from Mewtwo's rear view. He kept an eye on his stamina meter, making absolutely sure that he wasn't draining it dry this time. Thankfully, the suit's Stamina Management told him precisely how it was being distributed and the rate at which it was being used. He decided to redistribute a bit of stamina to warm him against the cold, which the suit performed at once. Immediately, the intense chill was replaced with a pleasantly warm breeze, allowing for a much more comfortable travel.

He glided without a sound over the rolling hills of northern Kanto. Puffy clouds like dark gray cotton balls rolled over his head, blocking the moon and darkening his surroundings. Mewtwo activated his night vision, bathing the world in a dull green light and permitting him to see. Just a few minutes later, snow began to fall from the clouds, swirling around him and splattering his armor. The further he traveled, the more snow he saw on the ground, whitening everything in sight and brightening the clouds.

The scent of the air changed from wood and pine to salt as he rapidly drew closer to Cerulean. The skyscrapers of the city loomed out of the darkness. A good number of windows were still lit up, as was a large portion of the streets. Pinpricks of red and white on the roads moved in neat little lines, though why these motorists were still awake was beyond Mewtwo.

He descended, disengaging his night vision as the objects on the ground quickly grew in size. His feet hit the concrete sidewalk right outside the front entrance. The fresh snow crunched under his step and melted wherever he trod. He took his ID in hand, leaned forward to the electronic lock, passed it over the scanner, and was granted access to the University. Even though the street was unlit and completely deserted, Mewtwo still looked around him carefully before opening the large glass doors to the lobby.

Though there was no moonlight, the dank, green glow of the clouds from the snow still lit the lobby. No light was present other than that aforementioned. Mewtwo walked slowly through the lobby, looking left and right as if expecting something to jump from the shadows. The intense stillness and silence made his heart race. He knew that there was nobody in the building, but it didn't stop him from perspiring slightly under the armor out of nerves. He moved past the reception desk to the staircase through the greenish gloom and opened the heavy wooden fire door. The staircase was sparsely lit by service lights; the dim yellow spheres cast by these low-wattage bulbs provided hardly anything more than did the natural light of the lobby. Mewtwo exited the stairwell and stepped out into the labs, lit by the same service lights.

His soft, padded footsteps echoed off the walls. These halls were even quieter than the lobby, making Mewtwo horribly aware of his body like in the church so many ages ago. His heart thumped against his ribs. He felt the blood pound through his ears and the tips of his fingers and toes. His breaths sounded like they could propel a sailboat to sea. The things he heard, like the gurgling pipes in the ceiling above him, sounded amplified by at least a factor of five.

The more he walked, the more he wondered whether he should have come at all. Travelling this many miles on a whim seemed to be quite rash of him in retrospect. What if Alder found out he left? Then what? He couldn't shatter his trust like that; it would be so irresponsible…

_Just one look at whatever's in that cabinet,_ Mewtwo thought as the large steel doors to the lab approached, _and then it's straight home_.

He removed the helmet from his head and held it under his arm while he lifted the lanyard from around his neck. He swiped his ID in the lock, heard the lock click, and pulled open the door.

Because Mewtwo didn't feel like blinding himself with bright lights, he turned on the room's auxiliary lights instead. These small lights lit the walls and machinery with a warm yellow glow like the service lights he saw earlier. Mewtwo eyed the cabinet with slightly narrowed eyes. Its door was still slightly ajar, like someone had just put away its contents but forgot to latch the door properly. What was inside it that merited such curiosity from him?

Slowly and deliberately, he walked towards the cabinet, meandering through the sea of tables. He let his helmet rest on the nearest table before coming square to the cabinet. Through the sliver between latched and unlatched door, the strange metallic material glinted yellow to reflect the light that shone through. From a much closer stance, Mewtwo observed that there were no shelves and whatever was inside was not one piece; that is, there were breaks and distortions in the reflection, conveying the idea that the contents were separate but still formed one unit together.

Mewtwo glanced around again, even when he knew the room to be completely empty but for himself. He felt the nervousness return in full measure, and for a minute or two he simply stood there, debating the simple action of opening the door. Eventually, he shook himself mentally.

"Stop being stupid," he muttered to himself, "there's nothing to be scared of."

He lifted his hand, hesitated for just a fraction of a second, then took hold of the cabinet door's handle and gently pulled.

For an exceptionally confusing moment, Mewtwo thought he was looking into a full-length mirror. His armor was reflected so perfectly from inside the cabinet that he could hardly fathom it was real. However, he took a second to inspect the contents more closely and realized that there was _another_ set of armor in the cabinet. The difference was that this set was made of a dark and shiny metallic material, its luster worn out from age. What Mewtwo took to be a visor earlier that day was exactly that; though the helmet was styled differently and looked much plainer, the black visor cut the headgear smoothly across the middle like the one he wore today. All the components were hanging on hooks placed strategically inside the cabinet, creating the illusion that Mewtwo was filling in without physically wearing the armor.

He looked down at his chest, noticing how much the two sets of armor looked alike. He recalled the conversation between Bryce and Tobuscus many hours before. They mentioned how similarly "the old and the new" looked; surely they were referencing the two suits of armor less than three feet from each other?

If this old suit used to be his, how did they come to acquire it? More importantly, how did the team's funder, the one that sent it on to them, get their hands on this artifact? The more he thought about it, the more worried he became. Mewtwo himself hadn't been heard of since his confrontation with Giovanni on that warm summer's afternoon fifteen years ago. And even before that, nobody knew who he was. Whoever had possession of this suit must have been… no, it couldn't be…

Gingerly, Mewtwo reached forward with both hands and lifted the helmet from its hook. He turned it over in his hands, feeling the cold of the steel persist despite his warm touch. As a matter of fact, it felt like his hands were slowly losing their warmth the longer he held on. The chill was steadily working along his arms, spreading past his wrist and traveling up his forearm. He didn't like the feeling at all.

Curious as to whether or not it still fit, Mewtwo put on the helmet. It covered his eyes and blocked out the lights like his new helmet did.

But this time, Mewtwo saw nothing more.

An all-consuming cold rocketed down his spine in the split of a second. Mewtwo didn't know which way was up or down as the cold stabbed him like a thousand knives inside and outside of his body.

Mewtwo collapsed like a marionette whose strings had been cut. He was unconscious before he even hit the floor. The crash of his armor on tile went unheard. Mewtwo's body lay on the ground, unaware that its owner was, not for the first time, falling into the blackness.


	16. The Diamonds in the Rough

He was suspended in the darkness, feeling the bitter resentment that gnawed at him for the last four days. These idiots have spent at least six months with him in testing and training; why don't they understand how he feels? They should know by now that he doesn't like anyone touching him. Admittedly it was an accident that he had elbowed his handler in the face a bit harder than intended, but he had to get his point across. It was their fault that they blew it so far out of proportion and forced him to defend the counterattack. And now what? Locked in his holding tank indefinitely. What a dumb way to spend his time at Cinnabar… training for hours at a time without any sort of recreation, and now not being allowed to leave this damned tank.

Sometimes, he wondered if they ever bothered to consider him as an equal... or better yet, a superior. Mewtwo was sure that his intelligence would far outstrip each and every one of theirs, yet they only dish out commands like candy on Halloween. 'Use this' and 'attack that,' they say, day in and day out. Don't they ever want to know how he feels? Or don't they consider the thoughts of the strongest Pokémon in existence important?

Mewtwo opened his eyes.

Through the wavy distortion that was the liquid in his tank, he had a good view of the lab's occupants, and they of him. Sunshine poured through the far windows, flooding the lab with long shafts of light. These dedicated researchers were staying slightly longer than others in the Mansion; perhaps that was why they were assigned to Projects One Fifty and One Fifty-One. And speaking of One Fifty-One, Mewtwo could see Mew on the wall to his right. Mew's head was bowed, eyes closed, most likely sleeping. The only thing Mewtwo could concede to these scientists was their accomplishment in cloning. But that was it; he was just an experiment to them.

One of them was looking up from his notes right into Mewtwo's eyes. Mewtwo replied with the dirtiest look he could muster. The man shot a frightened look before turning back to his notes with great haste. Mewtwo smirked, but soon stopped.

_Boring, this is,_ he thought dully.

He watched as the sun continued to set and the room slowly empty of people. They packed away their notes, briefcases, or whatever they had out and trickled through the lab's main door to the outside hallway. Mewtwo was spared many glances by this crowd of scientists, most of whom had expressions of mild concern or worry. In the process of boredly looking around the room, something caught his eye towards the windows.

For a fraction of a second, Mewtwo thought he could see the outline of a person looking into the room from the outside. Against the low sun, the silhouette stood out quite distinctly. But just as quickly as the silhouette appeared, it had gone.

Mewtwo was extremely confused; why were they looking in from the outside? Couldn't they just use the front door? But then Mewtwo thought about it for a bit, and soon reached the conclusion that he could've imagined it. He saw everything through his tank's liquid, which did tend to distort his far sight.

_Speaking of the tank,_ Mewtwo thought savagely as he closed his eyes again, _looks like we'll be adding another couple solid hours to this blasted streak._

He hated how they didn't trust him. He hated how they only cared about making him the perfect tool to be polished and honed, but not to be used or trusted. He _especially_ hated how confined he was. This... _freaking_… Pokémon Mansion... It's been hell on earth for far long.

What he'd give to leave…

_BOOM!_

An enormous explosion rocked the entire room. Mewtwo's glass tank completely shattered from the shockwave of the explosion. Before his eyes could do more than fly open in surprise, he collided painfully with the already sopping wet floor. Gasping from the sudden liquid-to-air transition, he laid on the ground as the sounds of screaming hit his ringing eardrums. The floor vibrated and shook from the heavy footfalls of humans and others that he couldn't identify. He tried to look up, but the dust was so thick it was nearly impenetrable when looking directly into the sun. The opposite wall had been blown clean open and several silhouettes were rapidly moving here and there, quickly subduing the screams and shouts. Eventually, one of the largest figures approached Mewtwo. The latter couldn't move out of shock.

"He's over here, boss," the bulky Pokémon said harshly.

"Good," a human voice from the other side of the room responded. "Make sure he doesn't escape."

Mewtwo squinted, trying to get a better look at whoever was standing over him. He was reasonably tall and quite wide; the shadow he cast blocked out the sun from Mewtwo's vision. From behind this brute, a flame was jumping and spitting on his tail as both slowly waved back and forth, back and forth. Enormous wings spread out on either side of his shoulders, and they too moved idly. A small breeze blew every time they flapped, continuing to churn the dust that was in the room.

These two weren't the only uninvited guests. Mewtwo could hear at least four more voices in the mix, none of which sounded like they belonged to a human other than the one that had already spoken. They were speaking to each other, none of which was making sense to Mewtwo's ears.

"Perimeter breach was successful and undetected at 1930 hours. Intelligence collection in progress. Target is secure."

"Copy. Four civilian casualties; one killed, three others injured. Remaining three offering no resistance."

"Excellent," said the human. "Now then..."

Another shadowy figure approached where Mewtwo was lying. He was tall, lean, and appeared to be well-dressed. He got closer and closer… so close that Mewtwo could just make out the wildest, scariest smile he had ever witnessed.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mewtwo."

The addressed stood up shakily, trying to master his nerves that were going haywire. Once he reached his full height, several clinks of metal-on-metal were heard from around the room. Now that the dust had cleared somewhat, Mewtwo could see the full scene for the first time.

The opposite wall was completely gone, reduced to a pile of cinders and powder. Any glass, including Mewtwo's holding tank, was shattered to bits. Dust settled on all the surfaces, clinging to Mewtwo's wet skin and griming it up. Behind some of the tables, the remaining scientists were cowering in fear or trying to tend to the wounded. Only one was not moving; blood was seeping from under his head and trickling from the corner of his mouth. His eyes stared unseeingly at the ceiling.

The intruders comprised of some of the most bizarrely dressed Pokémon accompanying the human. Each one was wearing a black Kevlar vest with a patch—a red capital letter 'R'—on the left breast. On the back of the vest near the neck were different nation's flags from around the world; Mewtwo picked out the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, and China. Charizard, the one that first approached Mewtwo, was staring hard into his eyes. Rhydon was squinting from the bright light that poured through the missing wall. A short radio antennae protruded from over his shoulder. Standing over the scientists, Golduck was wearing a sleek pair of black shooting glasses, blocking his eyes from view. Raichu and Sandslash were not far away from each other; Sandslash's teeth were bared with a toothpick protruding from them and Raichu was, for whatever reason, smoking a cigar. Nearly all of them carried an assault rifle, pointed directly at Mewtwo's heart. Charizard held his rifle across his chest in a resting position because he was too close to draw his weapon.

The man that approached put his hands on his hips and, in doing so, revealed a holster attached to his suspenders. The handgun inside was so large that Mewtwo wondered how it didn't fall out of this holster; perhaps it was a custom fit to the gun.

"Weapons down!" barked the man. At once, the Pokémon lowered their rifles and held them like Charizard did—across their chests in a resting position.

The man appeared exceptionally suave; his facial features looked like they had been chiseled by a master craftsman and his sleek, dark brown hair did well to match. His blue sports jacket and pants were spotless while everyone else was coated in a fine layer of dirt. His grin faded, to be replaced by a neutral expression.

"I'm surprised, Mewtwo," he said in an effortlessly strong voice. "I expected you to do something more than just stand there like you don't have a clue by now."

Mewtwo was dumbfounded by everything that had just happened and the shocks hadn't quite dissipated yet.

"I—you—who are you guys!?" Mewtwo stuttered.

The smile returned as the man said, "My name's Giovanni. These are the world's most experienced and well-trained Pokémon for combat. Not battling," he clarified when Mewtwo contracted his eyebrows in suspicion, "combat. The type of combat that any frontline soldier could tell you about. This team is faster, smarter, and stealthier than the Delta Team of the United States Army, the British SAS, Japan's First Airborne Brigade or even the former Soviet Spetsnaz. This team deals with operations of excessive danger, extreme importance, or stealth. Though at this rate, it's turning into a waste of their time. We were prepared for a fight."

"A fight for what, exactly?" Mewtwo spat.

"Not for _what_, Mewtwo," said the man named Giovanni slowly, "but for _whom_…"

At this moment, Mewtwo's blood was reaching boiling point. He didn't care who these people were or what they wanted, but he was sure that any action would lead to him being filled with holes like Swiss cheese.

"You can take any of these scientists and clear off; I don't much care for any of them," Mewtwo said, feeling the satisfaction of these words wash over him. It felt good to speak what was on his mind, even if it was to these complete strangers. A whimper or two came from the group overwatched by Golduck, but nobody paid any attention.

"Oh ho ho," Giovanni chuckled, "we don't want these scientists, but we wouldn't mind having a look at the intelligence they have to offer. No no, Mewtwo, there's something far more important that we want."

The grin returned in full measure, distorting his handsome features and making him appear slightly demented.

"We want _you_."

Mewtwo stood stock-still, staring right into Giovanni's cold eyes while the others watched on. He felt rooted to the spot while his heart pounded painfully. After a minute, he finally found the courage to speak.

"For what?" Mewtwo blurted out, his voice wavering slightly out of nerves.

"For this team," said Giovanni patiently, the grin still playing on his face. "We want to put you in the place you deserve; above all else. You'll be a part of the most elite combatants on the planet. You can play a major role in reforming society to make it a much better place. Nobody will be telling you how to live your life. It's everything you've ever wanted. Join Team Rocket, and I'll personally guarantee your happiness by fulfilling your deepest desires and wildest fantasies; you name it, I'll get it. Join us, and you'll be at the top of the pyramid. I'm sure you'd like all of that over the life you've been leading, right?"

A positive typhoon of excitement was quickly displacing Mewtwo's fear and nervousness. Anything… _anything_ to get away from this godforsaken laboratory.

"Yes. Without a doubt, yes. Count me in," said Mewtwo, the excitement obvious in his voice.

Giovanni nodded slowly with immense triumph on his face. He quickly turned to Rhydon and snapped his fingers in the latter's direction.

"_Ey! Radio vpered v shtab-kvartiru dlya uspekha missii._ Tell headquarters we have him."

Rhydon acknowledged the command and reached for the microphone hidden in his Kevlar vest. After a crackle, Rhydon conversed in rapid Russian with the communications operator. A minute later, Rhydon addressed Giovanni in a hoarse voice muddled by a Russian accent.

"Helix One is twenty-five kliks north-west. They will arrive on the roof of the Pokémon Mansion for evac in ten minutes. How copy?"

"Clear as day," replied Giovanni.

"_My kopiruyem_," said Rhydon into his vest, "Oscar Mike to LZ."

"Brilliant," said Giovanni, clapping his hands together. "Now, Raichu, have you collected the intelligence?"

"I've got it here, sir," said Raichu through his cigar, holding up a manila folder filled with loose papers.

"Good. Get them to our research department for alteration as soon as possible," said Giovanni. He turned and addressed Sandslash, "Have you succeeded with our secondary objective?"

Sandslash shook his head and spoke in a clearly British accent, "I haven't been able to locate Number One-Five-One. The holding tank's been shattered to smithereens but there's no sign of the secondary objective. I suspect it's escaped through all the confusion, sir."

A small frown passed over Giovanni's lips.

"Shame," he said. "I was hoping we could get our hands on that Pokémon. But I guess that's why it's just a side task. Oh well."

"Sir," said Charizard, his head turned to the side to address Giovanni, "we have eight minutes until evac. What else can we do until we board Helix One at the LZ?"

A brief pause followed. Giovanni turned slowly and deliberately away from Charizard.

"I'm going to teach Mewtwo a very important lesson about this team's rules," said Giovanni, looking Mewtwo straight into his eyes.

An enormous thrill of foreboding met these words. Teach him a lesson? What did that mean? Was Giovanni going to do something to him?

"What—what do you mean, sir?" asked Mewtwo, trying to keep his voice level.

"Your first lesson with this team is that I do not permit anyone to know that we exist," said Giovanni.

He clicked his finger in Golduck's direction and pointed to Mewtwo. Golduck reached behind his hip and produced a handgun. He lobbed it in Mewtwo's direction with one hand and a smaller object with the other. Mewtwo caught both, eyes roving over these two objects.

In his right hand was a Glock 17. The synthetic plastics and metal frame were in pristine condition. Not a smudge or scratch scuffed the black shell of the pistol. In his left was the magazine to match the Glock. Inside were seventeen rounds, each a nine by nineteen millimeter Parabellum, stacked neatly from bottom to top. The copper jacket of the top bullet burned red-hot in the fading sunlight, dazzling Mewtwo's eyes.

"You may be thinking, 'What does it mean to not exist?'" suggested Giovanni. "Well, I'll tell you precisely what it means…"

As if a cue had been given, all five Pokémon in Kevlar vests began inching towards the scientists on the ground still cowering in fear. The clicks of the safeties from the various weapons echoed around the room. Giovanni folded his arms, looking at those that were trembling on the ground. In the eyes of Giovanni, Charizard, Rhydon, Golduck, Sandslash, and Raichu, not the slightest bit of pity was present.

"Not existing means we were never here. Not existing means… no witnesses."

They were now standing over the scientists. The five Pokémon were arranged in a straight line with a gap between Rhydon and Charizard, weapons raised and aimed at the subjects now positively shaking on the ground with their hands in the air. And in a second, the sight of the six scientists and five Pokémon, the pistol and magazine in Mewtwo's hand, and the gap in the formation was explained.

With no thought at all, Mewtwo inserted the magazine into the bottom of the Glock. The magazine floor plate fit flush to the butt of the gun with a metallic _clap_. He cocked the slide, hearing the satisfactory crunch of metal on metal as a round was loaded into the firing chamber. His legs carried him to the hole in the formation as if he were on casters. He stopped precisely in line with the others and raised the pistol, sights on the head of the person silently sobbing on the ground some ten feet in front of him. His hatred for all of them and what they had done to him ballooned in his chest. The anger and frustration was bursting for him to perform a single twitch of the finger, which would release an unstoppable bullet fuelled by the hate he had harbored for as long as he could remember…

Giovanni gave the nod, and six triggers were pulled simultaneously.

"Here you are, then. Boss said to pick and choose two of whatever you like. When you've decided, write down your name, the make and models of your firearms, and their serial numbers. Raichu will take care of the shooting range for you when you're testing."

"Thanks very much, Sandslash."

Sandslash gave a nod of his head and walked away down the corridor. Mewtwo observed the flag of the United Kingdom on the back of Sandslash's vest before turning to the huge table of weapons.

There were more than forty guns of all varieties and spare ammunition on the three tables before him. There were assault rifles, carbines, submachine guns, pistols, a revolver, several shotguns, three light machine guns, and two sniper rifles, all placed on these tables. Every single one had a label, naming the gun and its manufacturer.

Mewtwo paced amongst these weapons for a minute. Giovanni was only equipping him temporarily; he said that, within a month or two, Mewtwo himself would be wielding something far more powerful than steel and lead. Still, Mewtwo wouldn't want to arm himself with something he disliked.

The Colt M16A2 caught his eye, mostly due to the excessively large hand guard. He picked it up in his hands, noting the solid feel that it carried. The stock nearly fit with his shoulder; it was just a bit too wide for his liking, but he still wished to try it out. Mewtwo picked up a spare magazine and loaded it smoothly, chambering in one bullet of the thirty it offered. He looked to Raichu, down a ways in the shooting range. He was stationed above and to the left in a crow's nest composed of bulletproof glass and gave Mewtwo the thumbs up from inside. Mewtwo raised the M16, flicked the fire mode to 'burst', and aimed down the sight.

Targets began popping up one by one throughout the range. Mewtwo turned slightly to the first one he saw and pulled the trigger. Instantly, three bullets rocketed out in quick succession. The first one hit the target, but the recoil lifted the barrel of his gun far too high, sending the remaining two shots nearly into the ceiling. Quickly, Mewtwo turned the fire mode to 'semi-auto' and returned to knocking down targets. He hit most of them, but his confidence with the M16 was slipping. The recoil was a bit much for his liking and the stock didn't fit well with his shoulder. He replaced it after removing both the magazine and the bullet already chambered and resumed his search for another firearm.

For roughly thirty minutes, Mewtwo picked up different weapons, tested them, and replaced them, dissatisfied by their overall comfort and performance. Raichu looked on from the crow's nest, interested in seeing what weapons Mewtwo would choose for himself.

Mewtwo picked up another assault rifle next to an AK-74M. Straight away, Mewtwo noticed its light steel construction and how comfortably the slender frame fit in his hands and shoulder. He checked the label.

"_AN-94 assault rifle: Izhmash,_" he mumbled to himself. "Interesting…"

He collected a curved magazine—shaped more like a banana than anything—and clipped it on (there was no place to "insert" it). He pulled the catch on the ejection port to load the weapon, hearing the metallic _crunch_ he loved so much. The sights were extremely clean and easy to look through as Mewtwo readied for yet another assault on the targets. Like before, they began appearing in response to Mewtwo's readiness.

Mewtwo didn't miss a single one. He expended the whole magazine and smiled as he looked down upon the assault rifle in his hands. He fell in love with it at once.

Mewtwo stood the AN-94 vertically against the wall and moved on to the pistols. A wide variety met his eyes, including the .44 Magnum revolver he had noticed earlier. However, one in particular snagged his attention fairly quickly. Unlike the other handguns that were more angular in style, this one was lacking in sharp edges and corners, like someone had sanded them down. It also seemed slightly larger than the others sitting on the table. He collected it and a matching magazine and read the label:

_FN Herstal Five-seven Prototype,_ Mewtwo read.

The rounds in the magazine were not the typical 9x19mm Parabellum. They seemed like miniaturized 5.56x45mm NATO cartridges. His interest hooked on this strange pistol, he loaded the Five-seven and began target practice.

The most noticeable difference from the other handguns was the recoil. It was significantly less than the Glock he had fired yesterday, which intrigued him greatly. Another thing that pleased him was the magazine size; it packed twenty rounds into a single clip, which was three more than the Glock and eight more than most others that sat on the table before him. Mewtwo grinned as he expended the last round from the Five-seven. Mewtwo found the perfect loadout and he was bursting with enthusiasm.

"You like that, huh?"

Mewtwo jumped and whipped around to face Charizard, who was nearly looking over his shoulder. Charizard laughed at his reaction and said, "My mistake, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Good grief, you nearly gave me a heart attack," Mewtwo breathed, his free hand clutched over his heart.

His eyes fell past Charizard and onto Rhydon, whom he had not noticed. Rhydon was chuckling as well and said in his heavy Russian, "We heard you were testing firearms and we wanted to see if we could help. By the looks of the AN-94 against the wall and the Five-seven in your hands, I can guess that you've found your weapons of choice. Also, we never got a chance to welcome you to Team Rocket. So, welcome to the team."

He gave another hearty laugh and shook Mewtwo's hand. Mewtwo grinned a little warily in response. Noticing this, Charizard said, "Don't worry, bud. We'll fit you right in once you're trained up within the week."

"Party down here, is it?"

Raichu had slipped in unnoticed and was looking interestedly at the others.

"Seems like, don't it?" asked Rhydon with another chuckle. "Let's go upstairs to the lounge and properly introduce ourselves. How about it?"

In a short time, they had collected the remaining Pokémon and moved to the lounge. Settled comfortably around the large, low coffee table with an assortment of drinks, all six squadmates were at ease. Mewtwo was the only one not wearing the standard black Kevlar vest, so he felt the odd man out of the group.

Almost in response to Mewtwo's unspoken words, Charizard said, "Oh, I nearly forgot…"

He reached to the floor beside his oversized chair, produced a heap of black material, and tossed it to Mewtwo across the table. Mewtwo caught it as Charizard said, "For the squad's F.N.G., eh?"

"F.N.G.?" Mewtwo asked as he turned the brand new Kevlar vest in his hands, breathing in the fresh smell of synthetic plastics and vinyl. There on the left side of the front was the red letter 'R.' On the back and near the neck like everyone else's was the flag of a nation; this one had the Japanese flag on it.

Raichu and Charizard snorted in unison at the question. Raichu said with a grin and a sweep of his hand, "It's a U.S. Army thing. Don't worry about it."

"I take it that both of you served?" Mewtwo asked in a slightly frosty voice.

"Yep," said Raichu. "Charizard started in '88 with the 75th Rangers and I started in '89 with the Delta Force. We were both shipped out to Kuwait for the Gulf War and did a lot of joint tasking. We were comrades for quite some time until our mission on New Year's Day of 1991. I was wounded in combat—got shot in the shoulder by a stray bullet…"

Raichu lifted his vest aside to show an ugly scar on his left shoulder, like someone had scraped away at the flesh with a knife and replaced it rather clumsily. Obviously, the stray bullet had done some serious damage.

"But anyway," Raichu continued, "Charizard saved my life by getting me to safety and helping me until proper medical attention came. Since then, we've been great friends."

"Must be nice to have friends…" Mewtwo muttered. Rhydon turned in his direction with his eyebrows brought together, but he didn't say anything. Mewtwo cleared his throat and asked the room at large, "When did you all stop serving?"

A brief pause followed. Rhydon shifted slightly in his chair and said, "Before I stopped, I captained a Spetsnaz squad from 1982 until the Soviet Union's breakup in 1991. After we reorganized back into the Russian Federation, I was asked if I wanted a similar job in the government's _Federalnaya Sluzhba Kontrrazvedki_—the Federal Counterintelligence Service. I accepted and was placed at the head of a large amount of servicemen. My years of experience served me well for my time there. I was the most respected in the Service by nearly everyone there. In 1995, a few months before we were due to reorganize into the FSB, I received a phone call and was offered to move my talents to Japan and work for a new employer. I was ready for something different, so I accepted. Right around the same time, Charizard and Raichu were off-duty soldiers and received the invitation. Both of them resigned and took their talents to Japan, three days after I arrived. The three of us were the original members of Diamond squad; I'm Diamond 0-1, Charizard's 0-2, and Raichu's 0-3."

"And the others?" Mewtwo asked as he turned his attention from Rhydon, "What are your stories?"

Sandslash gave him a long look before answering.

"I was a member of the United Kingdom's Special Air Service—the SAS for short—starting in 1990. I was a part of the Gulf War as well, but our team specialized in stealth missions. I hate firearms without suppressors, so that's why I liked our group so much. But anyway, I ascended through the ranks of our squad and soon became the captain. After the Gulf War, the SAS and our squad did odd jobs dealing with counterterrorism. In late 1995, I was invited to exercise my true potential with the squad as call sign Diamond 0-4, and I accepted. I specialize in secrecy, stealth, and hacking electronics. It's what I love."

Mewtwo turned to Golduck at the end of this speech, waiting expectantly. Golduck had an unamused, almost sour look on his face. He stared at Mewtwo for several lengthy seconds. Without his shooting glasses on, his eyes looked like they were staring straight into Mewtwo's soul. Mewtwo felt extremely uncomfortable in response.

"I was born very poor in rural China twenty-five years ago, in the shadows of the Kunlun mountain range by the mouth of the mighty Chang Jiang River. I was very unhappy with my homeland, especially after the political shakeout when Chairman Mao Zedong passed away. I moved to Japan when I was eighteen and served in the First Airborne Brigade when I was twenty-one. I was a top-ranked soldier in our brigade, but was still treated as a cut below the rest because I was of Chinese ancestry. On the Chinese New Year about six months ago, I was invited in person to join Team Rocket, where I would be treated better than I had ever been in my life. Giovanni quoted me on my extraordinary knowledge of the Japanese topography and the value of that knowledge in the Diamond squad. Naturally, I accepted the call sign Diamond 0-5, and I never looked back."

An odd silence followed, one that was tensed by the unexplainable dislike radiating from Golduck. Mewtwo couldn't understand why this was.

"How about you, Mewtwo?" asked Charizard, reaching for a can of beer on the table. "What's your story?"


	17. The Truth Will Out

In the month or so that Mewtwo had been a part of Team Rocket, he could safely say that he loved every minute of it. The power he felt on their missions was unrivaled by anything before. Their mission objectives from Giovanni were simple and free to interpretation. He enjoyed the teamwork required with his squadmates, for the focus that these missions asked for could get extreme. Nevertheless, Diamond Squad always reported back with mission success.

On a quiet October evening, Mewtwo was servicing his AN-94 and Five-seven. The latter being a prototype, there was no written instructions manual, so Giovanni was sitting with him at a long table in the lounge and teaching him how to disassemble and clean the pistol.

"Now press that catch there and the slide should come right off," Giovanni said, pointing to a notch on the side of the pistol. His suit jacket (this time a vibrant orange hue) was draped over the chair he occupied and his sleeves were rolled up to avoid dirtying them.

"Ahh," Mewtwo mumbled, performing precisely that action. Now the chrome barrel was exposed as he laid the slide aside. Gradually, the pistol was taken apart so that the key parts could be cleaned and conditioned. Mewtwo only had to use his sidearm a handful of times, but lack of use didn't prevent it from the possibility of malfunctioning.

As Giovanni was leaning forward to reach across the table, Mewtwo noticed the same handgun from their first meeting attached to his suspenders. It was larger than any other that Mewtwo had seen, and he would hardly begin to believe it was any regular pistol. Giovanni's group of the world's best Pokémon for the Diamond Squad proved that he was a collector with a thirst for the rare and exclusive.

"Sir," Mewtwo began, "if you don't mind me asking, what handgun is that you're carrying?"

Giovanni grinned, revealing his shiny white teeth. Apparently, the question had amused him.

"Oh my… this gun..." he said with a chuckle. He withdrew it from the holster, looking at it with eyes that plainly spoke of love for what was in his hand. It was finished in matte black, looking sleek and sexy.

"This is the Desert Eagle. I saw it at a firearms exposition in New York City a couple years ago, and I fell in love with it on the spot. It utilizes a gas operated mechanism normally found in rifles, so it can fire much more powerful cartridges than other handguns on the market. The recoil is massive, but it only adds to the charm in my opinion. The Desert Eagle is just so over-the-top in almost every respect that I had to have it for myself."

"What caliber does it fire, sir?"

"I'll show you."

Giovanni picked up Mewtwo's Five-seven magazine and removed one of the bullets, placing it upright on the table. He did the same with the Desert Eagle and stood that round next to the first. The comparison was non-existent; Giovanni's round was nearly double the size in both bore and height, even with a flat nose. Mewtwo couldn't ever fathom the damage a bullet like that could inflict.

"It's the .50 Action Express, the largest caliber bullet for pistols. Enormously powerful and extremely dangerous in the right hands, as you can very well believe." He paused for a moment before adding, "I have one word of advice for you; never, ever find yourself on the other end of the Desert Eagle. It just might be the last thing you see."

Giovanni cracked a smile before chuckling again and recollecting the bullet.

Mewtwo's throat had gone bone dry at this last statement. He could never dream of the moment, but he hoped that he wouldn't be the someone that received the wrath of the bullet. Or any bullet, for that matter.

Wordlessly, Mewtwo's pistol was cleaned and reassembled. He was about to holster it when Giovanni interrupted him.

"Leave your things here, Mewtwo. I have something to show you down in the basement."

A spasm of fear flashed through Mewtwo's body. Surely he hadn't done something wrong…?

They got up and walked to the basement. After passing the shooting range, Giovanni turned off towards the arms lockers, and Mewtwo's misgivings increased two-fold. He hung back warily until Giovanni noticed.

"Come closer! You'll be excited, I'm sure."

Tentatively, Mewtwo approached the large metal locker they were standing in front of. Giovanni put his hand on the door's handle, turned, and pulled it open with a long _squeak!_

Mewtwo gasped.

Inside was a gorgeous suit of armor. The materials of stainless steel and aluminum brilliantly reflected the room's artificial lights, giving the suit a dazzling, sparkling effect. Very similarly to the Kevlar vest Mewtwo was wearing, a capital letter 'R' decal was placed on the chest. If Mewtwo were to look, he was confident that he would find the flag of Japan on the back as well.

"Oh my God…" he breathed, "It's beautiful!"

"And it's all yours," Giovanni said with a grin.

"How did you do it?" Mewtwo asked.

"It wasn't easy," Giovanni conceded, "Our fabricators had a bit of trouble working the steel and aluminum together, but we got there in the end. The suit will hide your identity like we've discussed before and will enhance your attacks by a marginal amount."

Mewtwo let out a low whistle.

"Wow… I had no idea this was what you were arming me with!"

"Well, now you know," said Giovanni. "Why don't you give it a test run this evening and see how you like it?"

He removed the helmet from the locker and handed it to Mewtwo with a nod of his head.

"Go find some trouble."

"Please, don't tell me how to do my job."

"I was just saying, mate; you could've blown our cover."

"But I didn't, did I?"

"No, but—"

"Then drop it, all right? It won't happen again."

"Fine…"

Mewtwo, Sandslash, and Rhydon were all patrolling the headquarters on a raw December night. Mewtwo's armor was glinting in the moonlight while his helmet hung on the back neck of his chestplate. Mewtwo and Sandslash had been arguing about a mission they completed that same day, but they both fell silent at the last words spoken by Sandslash.

Around the outer perimeter of the property they walked, breathing in the cold air that stung their throats. It was barely the third day of the season, but it felt like it had already been winter for at least a month. The cold didn't bother any of them, though; they were used to it.

Sandslash turned his head sideways to address Mewtwo.

"You've changed since we met you, Mewtwo. I don't like it."

"Yeah?" said Mewtwo, his temper flaring up in response. "Well I don't give a damn about what you think."

Sandslash opened his mouth, most likely to utter some ill-minded retort, but Rhydon cut across before the former could speak.

"Shut up, both of you. There's no need to go at each other like that."

"But—"

Sandslash smacked Mewtwo with the back of his hand in one swift motion.

"He said stop."

Mewtwo sighed a deep breath and readjusted the AN-94 in his hands. He walked in stony silence, watching this way and that like he was trained for patrol. The suppressor on Sandslash's MP5 flashed in the passing streetlight while the matt black metal of Rhydon's AK-74M absorbed the yellow glow and dispersed it over the surface. Their shadows shortened then steadily lengthened on the pavement before disappearing completely as they moved away from the light and towards the more remote section of the property.

Suddenly, Rhydon's radio came to life and made them all jump. Though it wasn't very loud, they could hear the speech issuing clearly from the pack on Rhydon's back.

"Call signs Diamond, Dover, Malakai, Rotor, or Tungsten; we've received reports from scouts of one of our high value targets that needs taken care of by day's end. Anybody that wishes to accept this task must do so immediately to maintain the intercept window. How copy?"

In a toneless voice, Mewtwo said to Rhydon, "We're already suited up and ready to go. Send Eagle Two to sector One Alpha for transport of Diamond 0-1, 0-4, and 0-6 in five mikes. Get Dover squad to replace our patrol."

Rhydon repeated Mewtwo's directions into his radio and conversed with the communications operator for a few moments.

"We're cleared to suspend patrol and initiate our new objective," said Rhydon, turning away from the radio. "We'll be briefed in the meanwhile on Eagle Two."

"Excellent," said Mewtwo in the same bored voice.

For five minutes, they stood silently in the northwest corner of the headquarters property. When they heard the approaching helicopter, Mewtwo conjured a brilliantly lit ball of purple energy and waved it above his head like a flare. The helicopter dropped in altitude towards them and landed on the grass with a gentle bump. They boarded swiftly and without fault, and within ten seconds were off into the night.

They all grabbed headsets hanging inside and put them on. The roar of the helicopter was muffled and they could now hear each other's speech quite clearly.

"Good evening, gentlemen," said their pilot in an obviously female voice.

"Good evening, Yumi," said the others collectively.

"Got some mission directions straight from the boss," said Yumi. "He told us that the HVT needs eliminated by 0000 hours. Method to execute the mission objective is up to you. There is just one requirement; you _must not_ be seen."

"We copy," said Mewtwo in his headset's microphone. "Who's the HVT?"

Yumi pulled a manila folder from the empty co-pilot's chair and held it behind her head. Mewtwo reached for the folder and opened it.

It was a file of a Pokémon. The picture attached was a surveillance photo of an older Clefable that appeared to be speaking animatedly to a crowd of people.

_Public speaker,_ Mewtwo read to himself, _Urging individuals to resist Team Rocket since 8 December 1997._

The file was passed around. Once Rhydon finished reading the information, Yumi said, "Rotor squad has been keeping tabs on that guy and his family for two weeks now. Thirty minutes ago, our Pidgeotto scout reported a disturbance on the outskirts of Saffron. As we speak, he's giving a public demonstration and is drawing quite a crowd. Boss needs him silenced ASAP."

"Will do," said Sandslash. "We'll take care of the target. Do you have any recommended plans of action?"

Mewtwo was looking around the helicopter. He and Sandslash were sitting on the floor, legs hanging out the open door and feet resting on running boards along the helicopter side. His eyes traveled from Yumi the pilot, over Rhydon sitting on the opposite side, and to the back wall. On the wall, mounted securely and taking up quite a bit of room, was a suppressed sniper rifle; the Barrett .50 Caliber.

In an instant, a spark of imagination lit Mewtwo's brain.

"I know what to do," said Mewtwo. Sandslash turned his head and gave him a surprised look. Mewtwo ignored this and continued.

"Yumi, drop us off one klik south of our target's position. We'll use Carson Ridge as a vantage point. Sandslash, you're going to use the Barrett on the wall behind you."

"Whatever you say, Captain," said Yumi. Sandslash was still wearing that surprised expression like he didn't quite know what just happened. Mewtwo put on his helmet to avoid looking at Sandslash's curious eyes.

Twenty minutes later, the helicopter lowered into a large forest clearing. As they dismounted and the chopper rose up into the night, Yumi's voice now issued from Rhydon's radio:

"I'm going to the local base to top off on petrol. I'll pick you up in a half hour. Good luck."

"Copy. Thanks for the lift, Yumi," said Rhydon.

They moved through the trees quickly and quietly, crunching their way over the frosted grass. Sandslash moved a little slower because of the sniper's weight along with all of his other gear. They legged it all the way until a ridge appeared and the lights of the faraway houses lit the drop with a yellow aura. All three fell to their stomachs and crawled to the edge of the drop-off.

A significant distance away, they could see an intersection crowded with people and Pokémon alike and a clear space of roughly twenty feet in diameter. Mewtwo pulled out his binoculars he used on patrol duty, lifted his helmet, and pressed the binoculars to his eyes.

In the very center of the intersection and clear of others was the older Clefable. He was turning this way and that, making large and energetic gestures to the audience. In the background, he could see two more Clefables. One had a small sunflower behind her ear, looking quite pretty. The other was slightly shorter and had a younger build. Obviously, they were family.

Sandslash pulled the Barrett sniper rifle in front of him and unfolded the bipod so that it would stand on its own. The gun stuck out in front a whole five feet, the barrel hanging over the ridge edge. He was looking through the rifle scope, acquiring the target.

"Range is 250 meters," whispered Mewtwo, acting as the sniper's scout, "no breeze to speak of. The suppressor should keep anyone within one hundred meters from hearing us. Hold until we receive the green light to engage; after that, you can put as many rounds in him as you like."

"It'll only take one," breathed Sandslash. He locked and loaded the massive magazine, switched off the safety, and waited with bated breath, finger caressing the trigger.

As they laid there on the ridge, more and more people crowded around the intersection to listen to Clefable's speech. Mewtwo smirked and said, "They must be coming out from holiday mass. Oh well. The more people that witness it, the better. We want this to be as public as possible."

A minute later, a familiar voice crackled through the radio on Rhydon's pack.

"Diamond squad, this is Giovanni. You're cleared to engage at sector Charlie Niner-Five-Delta."

Mewtwo heart began to beat faster. A sweat broke out on his palms, slicking up the binoculars in his hands. He glanced over to Sandslash, whose face had hardened upon hearing the words. Mewtwo could tell that extreme concentration was setting in. Sandslash was not one to afford mistakes. It was nothing but perfection or nothing at all.

"Zeroing in on the target…" muttered Sandslash. He shifted ever so slightly, making the grass crunch underneath his body. Mewtwo jammed the binoculars back into his eyes and refocused towards the massive crowd. Clefable was still speaking with the same fervor and seemed to soon be reaching a crescendo.

All eyes were downrange as Mewtwo gave the command.

"Send it."

Sandslash inhaled deeply, then exhaled all of his breath. For one heart-stopping second, there was no sound except for the slow creaking of a trigger being depressed.

Unsilenced, the Barrett should've blown out their eardrums. Instead, a much quieter but nevertheless powerful compression of air and gases washed over them. In an infinitely small space of time, Mewtwo noticed Sandslash lurch back from the sniper's insane recoil before the projectile hit its target.

A brutally vicious sight met Mewtwo's eyes. Clefable's head snapped back like somebody had punched him very hard in the face. Blood spurted from his forehead and exploded from behind. In slow motion, Clefable fell backwards onto the pavement, watched on by the hundreds of stunned people and Pokémon surrounding his lifeless body.

Faintly, a whole host of screams reached Mewtwo's ears across the expanse of space. The crowd panicked and dispersed in distress, flooding the four streets that met at the intersection.

"He's down," growled Rhydon into his radio. "That's a confirmed kill on the target."

After the confusion subsided somewhat, only two remained behind. Clefable's wife was kneeling beside her husband's body, shrieking to the heavens. Tears ran down her face in rivers as she sobbed and shook uncontrollably. The teenage son, who moments before was occupying his father's other side, leapt to his feet. His hands were clenched and his face was contorted in rage when he roared to nobody in particular, "I'M GONNA KILL THE BASTARD THAT DID THIS! YA HEAR ME?_ I'M GONNA KILL YOU!_"

"Oh, just shoot him," said Mewtwo, binoculars still pressed to his eyes. "I'd like to see the whole lot of 'em dead."

"Can't do that," said Sandslash gruffly. "We're not authorized to engage anyone other than the objective. We'll keep tabs on them instead."

A muscle twitched in Mewtwo's jaw. He brought down the binoculars slowly and breathed heavily through his nose. Hearing somebody disobey him always made his temper skyrocket. He furiously gnashed his teeth together, but held his tongue.

"Fine," he spat. "But when I get to deal with either of them, I'm doing it personally. Copper and lead isn't satisfying enough for me."

There was a stiff silence, punctuated by the wails and swears and oaths still flowing from far across the ridge.

"We need to move," grunted Rhydon. "Yumi's returning to the LZ in seven mikes. It took us five to get up here. Let's go."

All three of them moved quietly into the shadows of the forest, listening to the church bells ringing in Christmas Day.

The hot July day brought out a sweat on Mewtwo's forehead. Stakeouts were his least favorite thing to do in existence, and hiding here in these bushes in this cramped fashion wasn't helping the matter. They've been watching the same roadway out of Viridian City for well over three hour now and had absolutely nothing to show for it.

Sandslash yawned widely, closing and reopening his tired eyes.

"Having as much fun as me?" asked Sandslash quietly, sniggering at his own words. Mewtwo turned around with an expressionless face, making Sandslash stop his laughter rather quickly.

"You know how much I hate stakeouts. I would've refused to come if we were looking for someone else."

Mewtwo shifted his eyes to the ground, where the files of two Pokémon were lying undisturbed. One covered the same teenage Clefable he had seen this past Christmas, the son of the Clefable they had taken out at the same time. The other file contained details on a female Pikachu who was presumed to be traveling with the target. These two Pokémon were reported to have discovered the missing link in one of Team Rocket's research projects, and Mewtwo and Sandslash were given the task of capturing Clefable and Pikachu to haul into headquarters for questioning.

The sun blazed on and began to fall in the sky. Now drowsiness was setting in from the amount of nothing the two of them had done. Mewtwo was getting extremely stiff.

Sandslash was writing something down in his notebook when someone began talking from a distance. He looked up through the bushes, saw who it was, and hurriedly tapped Mewtwo on the arm.

"_What?_" Mewtwo growled, irritated beyond endurance.

"Shh!" exclaimed Sandslash, "Our target's at two o'clock!"

Mewtwo straightened his strained back, relieved that something was finally breaking the monotony. He peered through the leaves and looked down the road to see two figures strolling along. Like Sandslash said, Clefable was right there at two o'clock, accompanied by Pikachu.

"Intel was bang on, at any rate," mumbled Sandslash. "Said they'd be coming down this road right about 1700 hours. Now, the next step—"

"Is to get ahead of them before they enter the Viridian Forest," Mewtwo recited dully, "and capture them for further questioning without using any kind of firearm. I read the briefing, too."

Sandslash narrowed his eyes in annoyance, but refrained from replying.

"Let's go now; they won't see us going into the forest if we use the trees along this road for cover."

They collected their belongings and began to run, out of sight from the main road. They traveled right into the heart of the forest, where daylight was struggling to penetrate the thick tree canopy overhead. The darkness would make for great cover.

"Okay," whispered Sandslash. The surrounding area was exceptionally quiet. "We'll be able to hear them from a long way off. When they pass us, we'll try to attack them simultaneously. I'll go for Pikachu, and you'll take care of Clefable. Remember, we need them both alive."

"What are they carrying that's so important?" asked Mewtwo with obvious disdain.

Sandslash could only shrug in response.

"I don't know, but it must be really important. Boss wanted two of us from Diamond squad, and we've been proven to handle important missions before now."

They waited for several minutes, hiding behind two trees and watching through the gap between the trunks. Out of the silence, footsteps could be heard trampling on fallen leaves and twigs accompanied by voices.

"Why don't you like the Forest again?" asked someone whom Mewtwo recognized as the teenage Clefable. He estimated his age to be about seventeen.

"I just… I'm not comfortable in here like other places," replied the voice of a female roughly the same age, perhaps just a touch older. "D'you know what I mean? I was fine in that ravine—I quite liked it, actually—but this forest… I don't trust it, for some reason."

"Bad memories? Did something happen when you were younger?"

"No… Sorry, I'm just being unreasonable."

"Not at all! We're all scared of one thing or another, aren't we? Don't worry about it."

Out of the gloom appeared the two, Clefable out in front. Pikachu was close behind, carrying a messenger bag strung to her shoulder. They were walking a bit slowly, feeling their way down the Forest's main path.

They were about to walk by Mewtwo's tree when Mewtwo saw Sandslash turn. They caught each other's eyes, and a sort of unspoken understanding passed between the two. The moment Pikachu passed, both crept out of their hiding spot.

Sandslash flexed his claws and eyed the back of Pikachu, no more than five feet in front of him. He brought his hand behind his back, rather like a baseball pitcher in a wind up. With almost superhuman speed, Sandslash brought his claws down across Pikachu's back.

The claws dug very deep; Sandslash had always prided himself in keeping them razor sharp. The gruesome sound of tearing flesh ripped through the silence, making Mewtwo cringe. Red, dark blood exploded left and right, flying high into the air before landing on whatever surface it saw fit. The force of the attack turned Pikachu so violently that she did a sort of half-spin for whatever time she remained standing. Her facial expression was not one of pain; rather, it carried one of mild surprise, eyes wide and staring. She breathed a tiny "oh!" before she fell heavily into the grass.

Clefable's head, which was bowed slightly just milliseconds before, straightened up so fast that he appeared to have cricked his neck. He gasped and brought a hand to it, trying to rub out the pain.

"Pikachu?" he asked in a slightly strained voice, "Was that you?"

Mewtwo realized far too late that he had been caught spectating. Panicking, he sidestepped Pikachu as quickly as possible and rushed forward. When he saw Clefable turning around, Mewtwo's heart skipped a beat. Bypassing all thought, Mewtwo found his hand being drawn straight back, curling into a fist, and being thrust straight into Clefable's face, right as the latter's eyes glimpsed Pikachu in the grass.

Two nasty cracks split the air. An explosive pain decimated Mewtwo's knuckle at the point of contact. Simultaneously, Clefable was thrown backwards in spectacular fashion at least twelve feet by the force of the punch. He skidded in the grass and came to rest, totally knocked out.

Mewtwo gasped in pain, cradling his right hand in his left. He thought he must have at least fractured something in his knuckle. He turned to Sandslash, who was standing quite slack jawed.

"What the bloody hell was that about?"

"I'm not sure," mumbled Mewtwo, glancing back to Clefable. "I guess I panicked…"

"Just a little bit, huh?" groaned Sandslash, "So much for subtlety."

"Subtlety!" exclaimed Mewtwo. "You killed Pikachu!"

"No I didn't!" said Sandslash defensively, "She's still breathing… barely…"

He knelt down next to Pikachu and inspected the wounds he had inflicted. A grimace passed over Sandslash's face.

"Eurgh… I think I clipped her spinal cord by accident. Well, she's still alive."

"Never mind that," said Mewtwo distractedly, "we still need to get them to headquarters. Search her bag; she might have what we were looking for in there."

Sandslash removed the messenger bag from around her shoulders while Mewtwo bent over Clefable. A livid bruise was rising rapidly on his cheekbone, and likewise on Mewtwo's knuckle. Mewtwo took one of Clefable's arms and dragged him across the grass, over to where Sandslash was rummaging through Pikachu's bag.

"Peanuts… a Thermos container…" he muttered to himself, placing the things he took out of the bag on the ground, "sandwiches… flashlights… this is all just camping gear, isn't it? What's there to look for?"

"Check that side pocket," said Mewtwo, pointing out a pocket with a zipper. Sandslash unzipped it and held it open.

Inside was a round, marble-like stone, but it wasn't like anything Mewtwo had seen before. Even though there was minimal light where they were (and certainly none in the pocket it rested), the stone was shimmering a beautiful, dazzling coral, as if the sun were beating down on it. There was no doubt about it; this strange stone didn't reflect light… it _emanated_ light.

"Is that what we're looking for?" asked Mewtwo.

"I—I guess?" said Sandslash hesitantly. "We're not looking for camping supplies, are we?"

"Not hardly," said Mewtwo. "Keep Pikachu alive, won't you? We'll still need her when we start questioning."

He slammed the door behind him with deliberate force. On the other side, Giovanni was waiting with his arms folded. He was looking through the large stretch of glass before him, a one-way mirror into the interrogation room. He waited a second before speaking.

"Thank you, Mewtwo. You are an invaluable asset to Team Rocket. This will only take a little bit more of your time. I promise."

"So we're going through all of this just for that stone I showed you?" asked Mewtwo, having trouble suppressing his irritation.

"Precisely," said Giovanni, watching the occurrences inside the other room. On the far side, Clefable had jumped up and ran to skid to a halt beside Pikachu. Clefable seemed to be in distress as he held Pikachu's head in the crook of his arm, kneeling in the puddle of blood beneath them.

"What does it do again? I don't recall that I was told what it does."

"It's the Mega Stone. It fuels the Mega Ring, a project I've had the Silph Researchers working on for a while. We've gotten nowhere until now, so I hope this stone works like described."

"And you're asking these two about it?"

Giovanni nodded.

"They won't know what it is, but I'd be delighted to find out where they found it."

"You can't hardly tell them about the Mega Ring, can you?"

"Sure I can," said Giovanni, a cruel smile curling his lips. "What do you do after you've extracted all useful information from the one you're interrogating?"

Mewtwo kept silent.

"You kill them, that's what you do. Don't want them flaunting your secret, right?"

"Of course," replied Mewtwo, an evil grin possessing him as well. "Because—"

"We don't exist," finished Giovanni, nodding his head. "Glad you have the right idea."

"I've had the right idea since Christmas," growled Mewtwo, staring furiously through the glass.

There was a pause when both of their eyes fell on the pitiful sight of Clefable and the dying Pikachu. The fury and anger that Mewtwo had polished and honed as a tool to his success rose in his chest. His fists clenched, the right one still sore from just an hour earlier. He was dying for Giovanni to give the word…

After a minute, Giovanni broke the silence.

"You have on-scene command."

In an instant, Mewtwo whipped around and threw his shoulder into the door, so hard that it bounced off of the wall.

However, the interrogation room was no more. A blank stretch of infinite blackness spread out in all directions. Startled, Mewtwo tried to turn back into the room he had just left, but it was gone too. He was trapped with no escape.

But a way out did present itself. Through time and space, Mewtwo was mysteriously transported more than fifteen years and two hundred miles in just a second. The nothingness reformed into tangible objects. Mewtwo awoke in the laboratories of Cerulean University that he never left, looking into the faces of Bryce and Tobuscus and screaming at the top of his lungs.


	18. Eye of the Hawk

"Mewtwo! _Mewtwo!_ What—"

"Get off of me! Get away! Don't—"

He was in outright distress and completely lost control of his actions. He was shaking violently, making his armor clatter and rattle against the tile floor. The memories of his entire life were swamping his brain, pushing his panic to extreme levels. Mewtwo knocked off the old helmet, exposing his face drenched in a cold sweat.

"Mewtwo, calm down! You're not yourself! Stop flailing about and we can—"

"GET YOUR SLIMY HANDS AWAY FROM ME!"

Mewtwo didn't mean to shout out so loudly, nor did he intend to utter such an insult. Bryce took his hands away at once and looked on with a mixture of fear and devastation. In sharp contrast, Tobuscus was staring hard into Mewtwo's eyes. Anger flared up in an instant, making his pupils contract so that they looked undeniably hawk-like. Mewtwo could feel an intense heat radiating from Tobuscus.

"Apologize!" Tobuscus snarled. "Apologize for what you said, or I'll give you something to _really_ scream about, you effing scumbag—"

"STOP!" Bryce bellowed. Tobuscus and Mewtwo jumped and broke eye contact to look at Bryce.

"Tobuscus, if I _ever_ hear you saying something like that again, we're going to have a serious problem. You hear me?"

Tobuscus nodded sourly.

"Right," Bryce murmured. He ran his fingers through his hair distractedly, glanced at Mewtwo still shaking on the floor, then gasped as he remembered why he was there in the first place.

"What happened!? Why are you here?"

Mewtwo had regained control of himself, but only just. He was trembling like he was suffering from a terrible flu and his head felt like it would split from pain.

"I—I saw—terrible things…"

"Stay down," said Bryce when Mewtwo tried to rise from the floor, "and don't move. Try to keep calm here for a second, won't you?"

Mewtwo nodded shakily, still gasping for breath. The three of them stayed still for a minute or two in the silent laboratory. Mewtwo's breaths were slowly returning to normal pace. When they did, Bryce said, "Okay… try to sit up, now—up you get…"

With quite a bit of assistance from Bryce and Tobuscus, Mewtwo was able to sit upright again. His back fell against the cabinets with a _clunk_ as a spell of dizziness overcame him. The others swam in his view as he closed his eyes and tried to refocus.

Bryce placed a hand on Mewtwo's arm where the armor didn't cover and gently asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same question," replied Mewtwo in a wavery voice. He could tell that his strength was all but gone.

"I was doing some extra work in our office, but that's beside the point," said Bryce. "I have permission to be in the University after hours. You don't. What—well, never mind," he muttered to himself, "Forget I asked why you're here. But anyway, I was walking around the halls to make sure everything was locked up and I saw the lights on in here. I came in and I heard something clattering, so I went to check what it was. You were shaking on the ground and saying stuff like 'No, don't shoot him…' What was going on?"

Mewtwo's stomach churned and felt sick when he remembered what he experienced. The memories weren't like he was witnessing it as a spectator; he saw them in the genuine first person. He remembered it all. The memories felt more terrifying than he could have ever imagined.

"I'm… I… I don't know…" he moaned disjointedly. "I was—I was at Cinnabar where it all—it all started… And then… I…"

He was having real trouble stringing two thoughts together, let alone trying to speak in complete sentences. He couldn't focus, not with so much crap swarming his brain at once. He had to regroup and get his point across, but he hadn't the faintest idea how to do so.

"Look," Bryce said gently, "don't overexert yourself. You're not well right now. Let's go back to my apartment so we can take care of you."

Mewtwo nodded weakly. Before they went to move him, Bryce approached the helmet Mewtwo had knocked off, lying some distance away. He crouched to collect the helmet, which seemed to be letting off some sort of fine vapor.

"OW!"

He withdrew his hand in a flash, waving it violently in the air as if it were burned.

"What? Is it hot?" asked Tobuscus incredulously.

"No!" Bryce said in an injured voice, still waving his hand like a madman. "It's cold! It's like dry ice!"

Tobuscus looked from the helmet to Bryce and back again. He quickly kneeled beside Mewtwo and took his head in his hands, turning it this way and that.

"His face isn't burned…" he said slowly. "Let me see your hands, Mewtwo."

Sluggishly, Mewtwo raised them off of the ground just enough for Tobuscus to hold and inspect each of them.

"Here's a scorch mark!" he exclaimed, pointing to a long, thin line on the back of Mewtwo's hand. Indeed, the mark looked like someone had applied a hot wire to his skin. It glowed an angry red hue.

"Why did the helmet do that?" asked Bryce, looking very concernedly at the helmet lying innocently at his feet. Vapor was still trickling from the outside and dispersing over the tile around it.

"I don't know," Tobuscus said, "but that helmet's dangerous. It made Mewtwo have some sort of experience, and he wasn't in control of his actions. Let it be. Right now, we need to help him." He gestured to Mewtwo who was still leaning against the cabinets, head weaving back and forth as he was now struggling against the binds of sickness and unconsciousness.

Bryce and Tobuscus stooped to haul Mewtwo up under the arms and lift him to his feet. Being quite a heavy Pokémon at nearly two hundred seventy pounds and unable to stand under his own strength, the serious burden of transporting him fell unto the shoulders of those supporting him upright.

It was very slow progress. Leaving the old helmet alone, Bryce collected Mewtwo's new helmet from the adjacent table and carried it under his right arm while supporting Mewtwo with his left. They moved through the lab and out into the sparsely lit hallway. Mewtwo's feet dragged along on the tile, the constant, gentle _scrape_ of his armor's anklets clearly audible.

Mewtwo's senses were thoroughly distorted. His sight was so swimmy and his balance so unsteady that he would have no hope of operating normally, even with assistance.

"Damn it," swore Bryce under his breath after he pressed the button to call a lift, "elevators are out of service. Gotta use the stairs…" His face was reddening from the effort of supporting Mewtwo.

Tobuscus noticed his trainer's apparent fatigue and said, "Bryce, save your energy for driving. I can take Mewtwo up to your car."

"Are you sure?" asked Bryce, glancing around Mewtwo to look Tobuscus in the eye.

"Positive. I wasn't trained to level ninety so my strength would go to naught!"

"You're right," sighed Bryce, "I guess the trainer should've done a little training himself, huh?"

He relinquished his hold, permitting Tobuscus to acquire a secure grip on Mewtwo and raise him over his own shoulders in a fireman's lift. Mewtwo's body was a bit awkward to carry, but Tobuscus had no trouble.

Mewtwo's condition was steadily worsening, but something about the gentle warmth from Tobuscus reassured him more thoroughly than anything else tonight. He knew that, even though Tobuscus had lost his temper just ten minutes before, he really did care.

He could retain consciousness no longer, and he fainted on the shoulders of Tobuscus.

Right as Tobuscus put his foot on the first stair up, he felt whatever tension leave Mewtwo's body as a long, slow exhale escaped his lungs. He stopped dead, making sure that what he feared hadn't actually happened. Standing absolutely still, he listened, feeling the gentle _thump, thump, thump_ of a heartbeat through the chestplate and the extremely deep breaths Mewtwo was drawing.

"Did he just—" started Tobuscus. He couldn't finish his sentence when the realization of what just happened breached him. He gave Mewtwo a little shake. Mewtwo didn't reciprocate, hanging limply in response with his eyes closed. "He's—oh, no…"

"What?" asked Bryce, quickly turning around to look behind him several steps up the staircase, "What's wrong?"

"He's not dead," said Tobuscus. Dull pangs of shock were filtering through his body. "But I think he fainted…"

The first feelings of guilt were creeping in Tobuscus's chest. In a flare of temper, he insulted and threatened the helpless Pokémon now resting unconscious on his shoulders. In one go, he gave a horrible impression that he would have a real job fixing. Reflecting his trainer and himself so poorly was one of the very last things he would dream doing. Tobuscus hoped that helping out like this could atone for his inexcusable actions.

With the stringent conditioning and strength courses he went through in his many months of training, Tobuscus was having no issues carrying Mewtwo up the stairs and out of the University. He was used to dealing with heavier loads before this, anyway. Sidling through the front doors, the two of them walked with renewed vigor to the parking lot through the thickly falling snow. Sparking in the yellow glare of the streetlamps, their breath rose in a thick fog through the freezing air.

"Sit with him in the back, please," said Bryce when they reached his car. He opened one of the rear doors and temporarily held Mewtwo upright while Tobuscus squeezed into the back. Gradually, Tobuscus eased Mewtwo into the backseat and fit him as best as possible. Bryce pushed his feet in after and closed the door.

It nearly looked comical how little room there was in the backseat. Tobuscus was already very tall as it was and wasn't meant to be a passenger in an automobile. Mewtwo's body took up most of the remaining space, lying across the seats with his knees almost brought up to his chest.

"...and snowing too, for God's sake…" muttered Bryce when he opened the driver's door. Getting in and placing Mewtwo's helmet on the passenger's seat, he continued talking to himself. "This Civic is easy enough, but a right-hand drive on top of this kind of weather? I'm surprised I'm licensed to operate motor vehicles in Japan…" He turned in his seat, looked Tobuscus in the eye, and asked, "Are you okay back there?"

"We're as good as we'll ever be," sighed Tobuscus.

"Good," said Bryce. "Don't worry, the ride won't be any more than twenty minutes. Hang in there, and we can get Mewtwo back up and running." He reached into his sports jacket's pocket and added, "I need you to call Tim Bishop for me and ask if he can swing by my place as soon as possible. I can't talk and drive to save my life…"

He withdrew a cell phone and handed it back. Tobuscus took it in his free hand with the words, "No problem."

"Thanks very much, bud," Bryce said with a small smile. He turned the engine over, put the car into first gear (it was a manual transmission), and pulled smoothly out of the parking lot.

Meanwhile, Tobuscus searched for Tim in Bryce's sparse number of contacts; needless to say, it didn't take very long. He touched the "call" prompt and held the device to his ear as the dial tone played.

A few moments passed, and a wan voice spoke up on the other end.

"Bryce, if you want to play games, you should've asked me yesterday evening, not today at one o'clock in the morning."

"Erm…" Tobuscus said, not quite sure how to respond, "This isn't Bryce speaking. This is Tobuscus, his Blaziken."

"Oh!" Tim exclaimed, "I'm so sorry! I assumed it was Bryce calling about—I mean… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have answered like that. My apologies. But I must ask why you're calling at this time, if you don't mind."

"Well," Tobuscus started awkwardly. He wasn't used to speaking to people that weren't face to face. "We found Mewtwo in the Cerulean laboratory and he's—kind of fainted in my lap."

A snicker filtered through the earpiece. Tobuscus sat silently, unamused at the reaction.

"Wait, you're serious?" asked Tim when there was no response.

"Yup," Tobuscus affirmed with a definite frost in his voice. "We need you to come to Bryce's apartment and see what's wrong. Can you do that for us?"

"Yeah, I can do that," said Tim in a much more hurried manner. "I'll be there as soon as I can! Thanks for letting me know!"

"Of course," said Tobuscus. "See you when you get there."

He hung up and returned Bryce's phone in silence. Mewtwo did not wake nor stir. In fact, he really didn't do anything besides breathe. Tobuscus looked down sadly at his face, wondering…

Tobuscus could remember many moons ago, when he was just a Torchic… Bryce was only two years old then, but they grew up together like siblings when Bryce's parents adopted that little Torchic abandoned on the suburban streets of Pennsylvania. They lived far away from the turmoil, separated by thirteen time zones and thousands of miles of land and ocean. The news of deaths, disappearances, and outright distress reached them disconnectedly—not that Bryce could understand it at the time, anyway. Tobuscus was old enough to recall hearing about these events, even if they didn't make much sense to him back then.

Mewtwo was only a myth, a legend borne from rumors, but nobody knew who he was. They couldn't even identify him in the Pokédex. All Mewtwo had to his reputation was the number one hundred fifty; and even then, he was _only_ known as one hundred fifty. But that changed one August day in 1998. The news came out that this new Pokémon, Mewtwo, had committed crimes against humanity, and the whole world learnt that a warrant for his arrest was issued within Japan's borders. A manhunt for the most powerful Pokémon ever created instantly slingshot him to the forefront of conversations everywhere. Barely a month later, the warrant was retracted with no explanation, and the subject dropped with it. Thus, for fifteen years, Mewtwo disappeared from the face of the earth and left only the title of a truly legendary Pokémon for people and Pokémon alike to whisper, fearing his return.

Mewtwo's face twitched, drawing the attention of Tobuscus and fuelling his thoughts and curiosity. How… _how_ did this poor Pokémon lying unconscious in his lap once wield so much power? It simply baffled Tobuscus how such a drastic change could have come about.

The car stopped moving. Tobuscus looked around and realized that the scenery had changed completely. No longer were they subjected to the glare of city lights and headlamps; instead, the sight of trees and a long line of one-story apartments replaced the former. Bryce got out of the car, wrapped in his coat and Mewtwo's helmet in hand, and opened the back door. The rush of freezing air stole the warmth inside in an instant.

Gently, the two eased Mewtwo back out of the car. Tobuscus lifted him back over his own shoulders and transported Mewtwo the short distance from the parking lot to Bryce's apartment. On the dark porch, Bryce fumbled for his keys, mumbling to himself again.

"Hope Tim gets here soon," Tobuscus heard him say as he inserted a key into the doorknob.

The lock clicked. Bryce's apartment door swung open and he entered. Tobuscus followed, bowing slightly through the door frame as a table lamp was turned on.

In the rather small living room, there was an informal dining area immediately to the left. Several things were scattered on the table, mostly personal belongings like books and papers. On the right was a couch facing a coffee table and the television placed in the corner of the room. A hall leading to other rooms stretched away from them on the opposite side of the living room.

Tobuscus approached the couch and delicately lowered his cargo onto it. Mewtwo remained motionless, lying on the couch rather like he had been there sleeping all along. After Bryce had deposited his belongings, he joined Tobuscus to look down on Mewtwo for some time.

"What do you think happened to him?" said Bryce quietly.

"I don't know," replied Tobuscus, shrugging his shoulders, "but it definitely had something to do with that old armor he found. Hopefully Tim will be able to shed some light."

Bryce nodded fervently, eyes full of concern.

"I hope so," he said. Another momentary pause followed before he added, "Let's take off his armor before Tim gets here, yeah?"

Tobuscus nodded. Both of them knelt down, rather like they were tending to a sick person, and began removing the armor piece by piece.

A flash of headlamps filtered through the window blinds, attracting the two's attention. Bryce jumped up immediately and ran outside, leaving Tobuscus to continue the stripping process. A minute later, footsteps approached and in came Bryce again, followed closely by Tim. The latter was dressed in a long black overcoat and had brought along what appeared to be a briefcase. In the stillness of the room, Tobuscus could hear a small intake of breath.

"What happened?" were the first words out of Tim's mouth. He shook off his coat and laid it over the back of the couch. "What's wrong with him?"

"That's what we were hoping you'd figure out," said Tobuscus, looking up from his kneeling position and laying aside a hand guard he had removed.

Tim laid his briefcase on the coffee table and opened it. Tobuscus caught a glimpse of some papers before Tim withdrew a small flashlight. He kneeled to Mewtwo's eye level, held open his eyelids, and flashed the light into each of them. Mewtwo didn't react; his pupils contracted when the strong light was shining into them, but his eyes remained motionless and staring.

Tim stared at Mewtwo, his face straight and set.

"He's unconscious, all right," he said flatly. "And you have no idea why?"

"N—no," Bryce said, his words stumbling slightly, "We found him in the Cerulean Laboratory where you guys did the testing with the Mega Ring. He had his new suit of armor on, but he was wearing the helmet that came with the old suit. He was shaking like mad and we tried to get his attention, but he was outside of his own control. He just about screamed his head off, but we eventually got him to calm down once he knocked off his old helmet. And—the helmet… Tim!" he shouted, startling his two listeners, "the helmet was colder than ice to the touch! There was a scorch mark where it contacted Mewtwo's hand, and I got burned when I tried to pick it up… look here…"

Tim leaned forward to inspect Bryce's outstretched hand, but everyone was thoroughly distracted by a motion that came from Mewtwo. The latter had twisted his neck slightly as if he were stretching it and used his hand to sluggishly grope for his legplate. Tobuscus, who had just been attempting to detach the object in question, withdrew his hands and suspended them in mid-air, watching on and wondering whether or not Mewtwo would finally be released from the binds of unconsciousness.

Without hesitation, Tim dropped back down to Mewtwo's level and directed his flashlight's beam into Mewtwo's eyes again. This time, they were swiveling around before he tried to shut them and protect his pupils from the harsh light.

"Ow!" Mewtwo exclaimed, raising a hand to shield his eyes. "What the—stop that!"

Tim obliged and retreated ever so slightly. Everyone watched on while Mewtwo rubbed his eyes and propped himself up on his elbow. A moment later, he froze, as if he realized something was wrong. He looked around, and Tobuscus saw his eyes travel from Tim, to Tobuscus himself and his hands still hanging in mid-air, to his partially-stripped body, and up to the ceiling. Utter confusion rapidly stole over his features.

"Where—where am I?" he asked slowly.

Bryce moved around the couch and kneeled beside Tim.

"You're in my apartment," he said softly. "You fainted back in Cerulean University when Tobuscus and I were moving you out. I asked Tim to come over and make sure you were all right because you gave us a bit of a scare."

Mewtwo blinked.

"A scare?" he repeated. "What do you mean? What did I do?"

"You fainted, for one thing," said Bryce, a touch of impatience buried deep in his tone, "after you woke up on the floor, screaming. We didn't get a very clear answer concerning what you were doing there in the first place, nor did we find out why you were unconscious on the floor in the laboratories."

Mewtwo's face fell almost immediately. He seemed to have just recalled the events in question.

"Oh…" he mumbled, "yeah… I guess I should tell you what happened, then…"

"If you please," added Bryce, the impatience now bearing a definite bite. "I can go make some tea, if you guys want. Feel free to settle in."

Bryce rose and disappeared into the nearby kitchen. Mewtwo straightened himself, freeing up the remaining space on the couch for Tobuscus to sit next to him and recommence removing the armor. Realizing the intentions, Mewtwo and Tim joined in.

"Sorry about that," Tobuscus muttered, leaning in so that his voice would not carry, "Bryce can get like that sometimes. Don't worry about it."

Mewtwo shook his head without comment. Tim looked like he wanted to add something when Tobuscus glanced towards him, but something about the latter's action kept him silent.

"How are you feeling right now?" Tobuscus asked.

"I'm fine," grumbled Mewtwo, obviously a little miffed at Bryce. "Better than back at the University, anyway."

"What was this all about, anyway?" interjected Tim. "I'm just learning stuff as I hear it from you guys. Can you fill me in?"

Mewtwo opened his mouth but stopped when Bryce re-entered the little living room, carrying all four mugs of steaming tea by their handles. He distributed them accordingly and they all took seats around the coffee table in one form or another. Mewtwo handed his chestplate to Tobuscus, who laid it aside with the rest of the suit. A lengthy silence followed.

Tobuscus looked down at his cup, adding heat to the tea with his hands. Once it was warmed up to his liking (which was very near boiling point), he took a sip. Immediately, he could feel the superheated liquid tickle his insides and ease his mood. He leaned back into the couch cushions, sighing deeply. It was a very long day spent at the University, helping get Mewtwo's armor to him and the several hours he and Bryce had spent after everyone left. It was such a relief to be back somewhere that they could call home.

"All right," said Bryce to break the sounds of others drinking their tea, "let's get to the subject at hand."

Mewtwo gave an uncomfortable glance and shifted in his seat. A frown creased his face. He looked like someone that had been caught in wrongdoing. As this thought drifted through the mind of Tobuscus, he reminded himself that this was actually true; Mewtwo _was_ in fact trespassing on University grounds. But why?

"Mewtwo," Bryce said a bit sternly but not at all unkindly, "we need to know this because it could be very important, and withholding information won't do anyone any good. Now, if you don't mind me asking—"

"I saw the old suit," mumbled Mewtwo. Bryce stopped speaking, looking affronted, but Mewtwo took no notice because he was staring at the mug of tea in his hands. "I saw it in the cabinet yesterday afternoon, and I really wanted to know what it was. After everyone went to sleep, I flew back to the University and used my armor so that I wouldn't run out of stamina getting there. When I realized what was in the cabinet, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I had to try it on… or, at least the helmet, anyway. That thing was cold when I picked it up, and I actually felt it steal the warmth from my fingers and hands. I put it on, and—and…"

"And what?"

Mewtwo shivered.

"I remembered."

Bryce gave a sideways glance to Tobuscus through narrowed eyes. Both recalled that Mewtwo said he had seen "terrible things", but neither could get much more out of him besides something about Cinnabar.

"What d'you mean, 'you remembered?'" asked Tim.

"I remembered everything. It all started at Cinnabar Island in their laboratories there…"

Mewtwo launched into the longest and most heart-breaking tale Tobuscus had ever heard. He told them the true story and what really happened, contrary to what had circulated for over a decade in his absence. He told them about voluntarily joining a man named Giovanni and his Team Rocket, serving as a combatant. He described the other members of the Diamond Squad and the secret missions they partook in. He told about his hand in the deaths of Gengar and his father; Gengar's traveling partner, Pikachu; and countless others. For more than an hour, he talked through anger, tears, and self-disgust. Nobody interrupted the orator this entire time.

Tobuscus, his tea long gone, toyed with the empty mug in his hands, staring into the cold remnants held by the cup. His mind was filled with a sort of blank buzzing as he tried to turn over everything he had heard in his mind.

Finally, the truth. The truth to quench his thirst for knowledge about the most enigmatic Pokémon he had ever encountered. The lies that had been fed to the public were extravagant, but nothing compared to what Mewtwo just delivered to this group. Tobuscus would have _never_ imagined the tale Mewtwo told was the truth, but the way he told it was even more intriguing. He spoke through frustration and remorse the entire time. Mewtwo's persisting tone clearly conveyed hatred of his former self; proof, therefore, that Mewtwo was not at all what he had just described, but instead a Pokémon with very real emotions and sorrows.

Tobuscus suddenly realized that Mewtwo had ceased talking. The latter's eyes were shut tight and his head bowed in attempts to hide his face from apparent shame. He drew an occasional sniff, provoking a flood of pity in Tobuscus's chest. Nothing had ever made him feel such overwhelming sadness, but he couldn't even begin to imagine what Mewtwo was going through.

Nobody spoke for a very long time. The quietness lay like a blanket, punctuated by the barely audible noises of the others handling their empty mugs. Tobuscus glanced sideways and caught sight of Mewtwo's face. He looked thoroughly miserable, as if he had just attended the funeral of a friend. His eyes were glistening while a terrible frown creased his face. Tobuscus wondered if Mewtwo would ever be happy again, considering the heart-wrenching truth.

He couldn't take it anymore. He had to do something to break this atmosphere weighted with sadness, more for Mewtwo's benefit than anyone else's. He tried to speak, but no sound issued from his beak. Again and again he tried, but each attempt came to no avail. Tobuscus knew he had the power of speech, but it felt like someone had robbed his voice. He persisted in opening and closing his beak at intervals, failing over and over again in trying to say anything that would snap the silence.

Finally, Tim looked up and noticed Tobuscus trying and failing to speak. He correctly interpreted Tobuscus's intentions and took the matter into his own hands. He took a deep breath and spoke up.

"Mewtwo?"

The addressed raised his head and glowered at Tim with an exceedingly sullen expression. Mewtwo returned no words.

"I know that this was a horrible thing for you to experience—"

"No you don't."

He spoke quietly but with exceeding force, instantly silencing Tim.

"You have no idea what I felt. You have absolutely no clue what it's like to be the kind of monster I was. You'll _never_ know!"

Mewtwo's voice was rapidly rising to a shout. His knuckles were turning white from gripping his mug so hard in anger. Tobuscus felt something fracture in the atmosphere of that little apartment, and fear was starting to turn his blood cold.

"I wasn't—" began a thoroughly confused Tim, but it was too late.

"D'you know what it's like to murder innocent people and Pokémon? No! Have you ever been as cold-hearted as I was fifteen years ago? _No!_ You don't know what I've had to deal with for nearly two months! My whole life is defined by the past, and I can't fix it! Nobody will remember me for anything good I did! I'll only be remembered for the crimes I committed under Team Rocket! My life has been a train wreck, and… and… AND I CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!"

The empty mug shattered in Mewtwo's hands, littering the carpet with shards of china. His hands were so clenched that it was unlikely they'd release for several years. Pure fury was etched in every line of Mewtwo's face. His eyes were glowing a vile, evil shade of magenta and his teeth were locked tight. A pulsing vein in his temple vividly stood out against his pale skin. His hands began to shiver and shake.

Panic now replaced the fear flowing through Tobuscus's body. If they didn't arrest Mewtwo's emotions right now, he would be sure to hurt somebody in his rage. Tobuscus glanced at Bryce, and knew he was thinking the exact same thing.

"Settle down, Mewtwo," breathed Bryce. He raised his hands slightly, aiding his speech with hand gestures. "Come now, take a breather…"

This, however, only made the situation worse.

"_Don't tell me to settle down!_" growled Mewtwo through gritted teeth. He jumped to his feet and stared hard into Bryce's eyes, pointing at him and saying, "There's no way _you_ would stay calm. I'd gamble a Master Ball that you've never had to deal with anything more serious than meeting the deadlines on your projects! You just sit on your lazy ass all day in front of a computer screen!"

Anger flared inside Tobuscus like a flash of lit gunpowder. He ascended from the couch in the blink of an eye, primed to give Mewtwo a little retribution for his mistake, but Tim beat him to the punch. Literally.

His fist swung out of nowhere and hit Mewtwo hard in the face, renting the air with a disgusting crunch. Mewtwo lost his balance and fell backwards into an unprepared Tobuscus, causing both to collapse, bang, and bump their way to the floor. Mewtwo's weight crushed Tobuscus against the carpet and knocked all the wind out of his sails. He involuntarily pushed Mewtwo sideways, trying to give himself some breathing space and space to breathe. As he tried to regain his breath, Mewtwo was struggling to raise himself off of the floor. Tobuscus saw Tim's shadow tower over them and glimpsed his face, distorted by a frenzy of rage. He almost raised his fist to deliver another blow to an incapacitated Mewtwo, but Bryce rushed forward to hold Tim's fist at bay.

"You're out of line, Mewtwo," Tim breathed. "If all you ever do is live in the past, you might as well not be living. Stop sitting around in the past; stand up and walk. Keep moving forward. You've got two good legs, so get up and use them. You have regrets? Stop pitying yourself and work towards the change you desire."

He tried to wrench his fist out of Bryce's grasp, but the latter held him fast. Mewtwo stopped his struggling, staring back at Tim. In a heartbeat, his expression sunk into an utterly crestfallen look. He lay on the floor as he spoke.

"I… I never wanted to live the way I did in the past. Living my entire existence as nothing more than a test subject, how could I have known what was right and what wasn't? All I knew at that time was I wanted an escape. No matter the means, I wanted to be free. I thought that through Team Rocket I could gain the freedom that I desired, and live the way I was meant to. Move forward? It's hard to move forward when I never learned how to walk in the first place. It was only now, fifteen years later, that I finally understood the true meaning of living. I finally understood what I had been missing all those years ago." Mewtwo's voice softened as he continued.

"For the longest time I would look at the Pokémon we were told to observe puzzled, as I never understood how they could be so happy. What did they have that I never experienced? How could they view the world as anything more than an obstacle to survival? I saw the expression Pikachu gave to Clefable in her last moments, yet none of it resonated. The pained yet gleeful expression she made, I never truly figured it out back then. Now that I finally understand that meaning, I will never have the clean slate to truly live my life… The life I have now, it can never truly be real."  
Silence filled the room. The pain in Mewtwo's voice echoed in the atmosphere. Tim, still outraged by Mewtwo's behavior, gradually loosed his grasp of the tight fist he had made. He sighed with frustration, giving an apologetic look to Bryce and Tobuscus.

"Look, Mewtwo, we get it. No, we don't know how it felt, but life is not the bundle of joy it's cracked up to be. Hell, would I be doing research as my living if it was? All we want is to be able to help you; like it or not, we are all stuck on this planet, and we choose how to live it. We _choose_. There's always a choice. Take the past as the experience needed to turn you into the strong being you are today; a strong being who has a choice, whether he wants to help the world or destroy it."

"I never wanted that responsibility, I just wanted to live!" Mewtwo retorted, desperation in his voice.

"Ah, but unfortunately, nothing could be done about that. You were chosen with this responsibility by something outside human control. Yet, even with this responsibility in your life, you care enough to take it seriously. All of the stress, regret, and pain dictates just how perfect you were to be chosen to help the world, Mewtwo. You weren't made for destruction, you were made to stop it. The power you have was entrusted to you. That being said, you have the will to use this power in the way you want. Neither the past nor the future will ever change that."

"Even so… it's not that easy," grumbled Mewtwo. "To make a choice that will affect the entire world, let alone while I'm trying to figure myself out, really screws with my mind. Just look at what's happened here; I've almost hurt people I care about, and I'm expected to save everyone? I'm expected to save everyone knowing that I'm _alone_ in this? There's no one to guide me on what's wrong and right. Who's to say I won't make the wrong choice again? No one understands how I feel... I'm only expected to act without regards to these thoughts that eat away at my mind constantly."

"That's not true."

It was not Tim that spoke this time, but Bryce. He stepped out from behind Tim and addressed Mewtwo with a sullen face.

"You're not alone, Mewtwo. You may be unique, but you're not alone. It may be you and only yourself that has the power to make a change of monumental proportions, but we'll always be there to back you up when you need it."

Tobuscus was still on the ground, ready to grab hold of Mewtwo should he jump up again and attack. However, the fight in Mewtwo seemed to dissipate, rendering him fairly motionless.

"Come on, now," said Bryce gently, "we're all friends here. Let's act like it."

The cue was taken. On the way to his feet, Tobuscus offered his hand to Mewtwo. He took it without hesitation, and Tobuscus pulled Mewtwo upright again. Now in relief of the lamp light, Mewtwo was sporting a brilliant bruise on his cheek and a black eye to match. The sight made Bryce and Tobuscus cringe, but Tim didn't back down. On the contrary, he took a step forward, an expression of deepest regret evident on his face and in his composure.

"I'm sorry," muttered Tim ashamedly. "I shouldn't have ever lost my temper like that. I was the one out of line, not you. I—"

Evidently, nothing could have prepared Tim for what followed. Mewtwo stepped forward, arms outstretched, and embraced him.

The most peculiar expression—one which could most accurately be described as a mixture of blank shock and dull surprise—swept Tim's face. It was quickly replaced by the smallest of smiles as he buried his face in Mewtwo's shoulder and wept at his forgiveness.


	19. To the Brink

"All right, Mewtwo, try activating your defenses now."

"Which ones?"

"Just the auxiliary ones. The main shield will drain too much stamina for this exercise."

"Gotcha. Anything else?"

"Nope; we just need the others to be ready."

As Mewtwo started up his suit of armor, Steph scanned the snow-covered area, checking to make sure everything was properly in place. The borders of the forest were marked off, all equipment was set, and all other variables were checked for consistency and accounted for.

Steph reached for her belt and pulled out a Pokéball. She grinned, took a short breath, and released the Pokémon within her grasp.

"Glaceon!" Steph squealed with excitement. "We're finally back to having some action out in the field! It has definitely been way too long since we've had an opportunity like this."

An enthusiastic outcry resounded from Glaceon. The two took a moment to hug and embrace; clearly, they had been separated for quite some time. Glaceon's eyes met Mewtwo's, immediately filling him with a slight chill. Mewtwo felt captivated by Glaceon; he sensed the surrounding air drop in temperature, and her eyes perplexed him. Eyes as cold as ice, yet they seemed to be yearning for something out of reach. Glaceon's pale, crystallized fur glistened against the sun's rays. A true Ice type Pokémon stood before him.

"Mewtwo, allow me to introduce you to my partner, Glaceon. She's definitely a one-of-a-kind; I couldn't ask for a better Pokémon to perform research with."

Mewtwo smiled politely, and, despite the natural bitter-cold gaze, Glaceon seemed pleased to meet him. She did not speak, but there was no sign of hostility in her actions. Curious as to the lack of communication from Glaceon, Mewtwo was about to ask about it when Bryce and Tobuscus re-joined the group. Interestingly, Bryce was leaving normal footprints in the snow while the other totally melted it wherever he trod.

"Steph," Bryce said to the addressed, "Tim and Squirtle will be performing numerous other tests together on the outer edge of the forest, so I was told to pass on the message that we are free to start without them. As for Gengar, he noted that he would join us in witnessing Mewtwo's field test shortly."

"Ah, all right then," Steph answered as she faced Bryce. "Are we all set to begin then?"

"I believe so," said Bryce. "What did you guys decide to start with?"

"We were thinking about testing his defense in conjunction with the armor first," said Steph. She walked over to her bag, which was sitting in a dry patch of grass, and opened it to withdraw her notepad. She rifled through and added, "After that, we can test his offense, but I'm not entirely sure how we can proceed with that."

"Hmm," said Bryce thoughtfully, raising a hand to his chin and looking around for inspiration, "that's a good question. I don't think—"

He was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. Tobuscus spoke up and said, "I can help with both his offense and defense, if you need assistance."

From the corner of his eye, Mewtwo glimpsed Glaceon nodding vigorously in agreeance.

"You sure?" asked Bryce with a skeptical expression, looking between his Blaziken and Glaceon. "We're not certain what could happen. Someone might get injured…"

Tobuscus shook his head and brushed off the warning, saying, "I trust you guys. If I doubted anything about that suit, I would abstain from offering help. But I don't doubt the craftsmanship your team poured into its making, and I have my confidence in the Pokémon wielding its power right now. I'll take hits for the sake of science; just don't knock me out," he finished with a cheeky smirk.

Mewtwo raised an eyebrow and mirrored Bryce's quizzical face, though nobody saw it behind the blacked-out visor of his helmet. If Tobuscus really wanted to help, he was in for quite the rude awakening. Mewtwo guessed that nobody notified him of what happened in the Cerulean Laboratories back in October, because if he had, Mewtwo was certain Tobuscus would be second-guessing himself right now. Mewtwo took a step toward Tobuscus and drew his attention.

"I don't want to beat a dead Rapidash here," Mewtwo spoke from behind his helmet, raising and waving his hands slightly, "But are you _sure_ you don't mind putting yourself on the line? I've proven before that I'm not a star test subject. You know that, right?"

Tobuscus's smile faded away, but he didn't look angry at the inquiry.

"I'm certain," he responded with a strong voice. "I've had my skills strained to the limit more than once before now. What's one more time?"

"Well… all right…" said Bryce a little resignedly, "but what about Glaceon?"

Steph and Glaceon quickly glanced at each other. Within a moment, Steph said, "Glaceon would like to help Mewtwo shape up his defense, but she'll sit out on the offensive part. She's good, but not quite strong enough for Mewtwo's attacks."

"Fair enough," said Bryce, inclining his head towards Glaceon. "Everyone's entitled to their own opinions and feelings. Can't force them otherwise."

Steph smiled, but it wasn't in a friendly manner; rather, it seemed like she was reminded of something that annoyed her. But she didn't press the subject.

"Okay!" said Bryce, noticing nothing, "Now that that's figured out, are we set to begin? Mewtwo?"

Mewtwo nodded in affirmation.

"What would you like to start with? Offense or defense?" asked Bryce.

"Defense sounds good," said Mewtwo. His suit's protective shields were all primed and ready to be tested presently. He couldn't wait to see what his armor was capable of.

"Cool," said Bryce. "So, let's see what your shields can do."

"According to our notes, calculations, and predictions," Steph said, reading off of the notebook in her hands, "All incoming attack damage should be cut by a factor of at least five. Depending on the type of attack used, it will feel different; for example, super effective moves could still deliver a bit of a punch, but the shields will block the worst of its effects. Attacks that damage normally will be weakened considerably, and attacks that aren't very effective to start with become non-effective. Of course, this is just theory. Now is the first time it's being tested in real conditions, so you'll have to tell us if it holds true."

"Will do," said Mewtwo with a nod of his head. "Who gets to be first?"

Tobuscus and Glaceon traded an odd glance. Given this exchange, it looked like they had just been asked to poke a sleeping Dragonite in the eye, and neither looked too pleased at the prospect. However, Glaceon straightened her head, stood upright and proud, and moved into the open, clearly indicating that she was willing to take the initiative. Mewtwo was taken by surprise; he expected Tobuscus to be the first one up given his known level of skill. But Glaceon? He wasn't sure what to expect.

Neither, apparently, did Bryce.

"Erm…" he started uncertainly, "are you sure, Glaceon? I mean, Tobuscus is much more—"

Glaceon turned and looked straight into his eyes, giving an ugly stare that silenced Bryce at once. Interpreting this correctly, he held his hand out invitingly and retreated, gesturing for her to proceed. Glaceon resumed her pose and eyed up her target; her face was set. Mewtwo stanced himself, ready for whatever she was going to throw at him. He didn't know her skill level or what she was capable of, but he was confident his armor's shields would do their job. Besides, what was the worst that could happen?

Glaceon gave a grin that stretched ear-to-ear, and several things happened very quickly.

The sky, which only a moment before was a clear, bright blue, turned dark and dusk-like, as if a thunderstorm was rolling in. Simultaneously, the wind picked up to a blisteringly high speed, taking the finer and drier snow with it so that it began to drift across the ground. The cold sliced at Mewtwo's exposed skin like daggers, making him shiver uncontrollably and forcing him to crouch. Though his attention was focused on the Pokémon in front of him, he could see everyone else ducking and trying to shield themselves from the terrible wind. The snow around Glaceon was turning to long shards of ice, surrounding her like some strange outcrop of rocks. Mewtwo caught a glimpse of a strange, blue aura glowing around Glaceon's body before a total whirlwind of snow engulfed everyone.

"What the—?"

It was horribly cold; the temperature must have been sub-zero. In Mewtwo's vision, a whole host of alerts was filling up the left side of his HUD. The largest and boldest text was flashing bright red, proclaiming, "_BLIZZARD_ DETECTED." The other alerts almost exclusively pertained to the active shields. Mewtwo, his head ducked against the terrible attack, read these notices one after another as the appeared. Thankfully, the shields appeared to be doing their job; the notices were reporting a percentage of what was blocked by the shields, what Mewtwo was feeling in response, and a sea of other data. One interesting line caught his eye in particular; it read, "Freezing resisted."

The wind howled and raged on for what felt like several minutes. Mewtwo was certain he would soon become deaf from the noise. He was reduced to curling into a ball face-down on the ground, trying to do anything he could to avoid the blistering cold. Clearly, he underestimated Glaceon's powers.

From what seemed like the opposite end of a football field, Mewtwo heard someone screaming, "STOP!" over and over again. It wasn't a command from Steph; it was a plea from Bryce.

Gradually, the wind eased and the snow began to settle. He sensed the temperature rise back to normal and felt safe enough to lift his head. His neck felt exceedingly stiff and hard to move, as was the rest of his body. He labored to uncurl himself out of a ball and did his best to stand up straight.

He saw Glaceon, unmoved in position but drastically changed in appearance. Her fur was no longer crystallized; it now resembled something like razor-sharp needles protruding from her skin by an inch or two. Snow clung to her entire left side, making her look extremely asymmetrical and lopsided. The shards of ice around her feet were regressing back into snow. The blue aura from before persisted, but it too was slowly fading away. As the wind died down, her fur returned to its previous state, glinting and winking in the sunlight that just resumed full brightness. She shook her body free of snow and looked around.

The voice was much more audible now that Glaceon's _Blizzard_ subsided, and the speech Mewtwo heard was making his body shake not from cold, but from fear. Mewtwo turned his neck against the lingering effects of the partial freezing to his right.

"Oh no..." Bryce moaned, "Oh, man—Tobuscus…"

A chilling sight beheld the group. Bryce was crouched beside Tobuscus, his hands around the latter's shoulder. Tobuscus's appearance changed as well, but Mewtwo immediately knew something was wrong.

His entire body was discolored. A bluish-gray shade replaced his fire red torso and legs. A thick coating of ice encased his body, firmly planting him to the ground. His face was contorted from the power of the _Blizzard_, and, along with the rest of his body, was very still. Tobuscus was frozen solid.

"Oh my goodness," Steph gasped. Her hands were drawn up and covered her mouth in horror, face aghast at the sight. "I thought Fire types were resistant to Ice type moves! I would have _never_ let Glaceon do that if I knew otherwise!"

Steph ran over to Tobuscus, horrified.

"Oh, Tobuscus!"

Steph faced Bryce, a panicked expression plaguing her face.

"Bryce, I'm—I'm so sorry… This shouldn't have happened. I've battled with Glaceon by my side for so long; I know for a fact that Ice isn't super effective against Fire. In fact, Fire is super effective against Ice. Something—something isn't right…"

"What? Then how could this have happened?" Bryce asked, his voice quivering slightly as he spoke.

Steph turned to Glaceon, who had a look of extreme guilt across her entire face. Scanning Glaceon, Steph fell into deep thought. Within ten seconds, Steph's eyes widened with realization.

"Oh my God!" Steph gasped. She ran towards Glaceon, who nervously locked eyes with Steph. Noticing Glaceon's nerves, Steph quickly changed her tone and said gently, "It's okay, Glaceon, it wasn't your fault. As a trainer and researcher, I should have thought ahead of time to remember the items I left on you…"

Reaching behind Glaceon's ears, Steph removed an item fastened tightly to Glaceon. A small pair of goggles lay in Steph's hand.

"These are _Choice Specs_. A long while ago, Glaceon and I had entered some battling tournaments as a way to strengthen our bond. _Choice Specs_ is an item that increases the Special Attack of one Pokémon by a significant amount. On top of the fact that Glaceon is specially trained in Special Attack, moves like _Blizzard_ are executed at a much higher intensity. Even the strongest of Fire types can fall victim to that kind of strength boost…"

"I don't—but—I…" uttered Bryce. Words simply failed him while he stared at Tobuscus's immobile form. "I've never seen him like this… helpless and defeated… Wh—what do I do? I didn't bring any healing items or anything! How could I be so unprepared? What—"

Steph approached unnoticed, grabbed his shoulders, and swung Bryce around so that they were face-to-face. Though she was several inches shorter, her authority in the situation was undeniable.

"Bryce!" she said to cut across Bryce's rambling. "Don't worry! Freezing is never a permanent affliction! Calm down, won't you? Take a deep breath—come on…"

Bryce obeyed.

"The _Blizzard_ was powerful, but I know Tobuscus is strong enough that he didn't faint," Steph continued, still keeping hold of Bryce's shoulders. "If you didn't bring anything, we'll just have to wait for him to thaw. Okay?"

Bryce nodded jerkily. Steph released his shoulders and walked over to Tobuscus to inspect him. Mewtwo watched on, slightly stunned by how panicky Bryce acted. He always imagined him to be a clearer than normal thinker, but now he was thinking twice about it. Maybe it was the fact that seeing Tobuscus defeated was something Bryce wasn't used to.

Fast-paced footsteps were rapidly approaching the group. Everyone looked up at the noise to witness Tim, Squirtle, and Gengar running towards them. All were out of breath, indicating that they came from some distance away.

"We saw—the weather change—a lot…" Tim panted, "and we wanted—to make sure—you guys were okay…"

His eyes were drawn to the frozen Pokémon some distance away. Shock filtered through his face when the comprehension dawned on what happened.

"Oh my—" he gasped. Tim rushed to Steph's and Tobuscus's side, still clutching a stitch in his side and bent over. "What happened? Is—is he frozen?"

"Yeah…" Bryce said a little dazedly. The recent events left him a little slow on the uptake. "I think… I think Steph can explain why…"

Briefly, Steph described her mistake of not removing the _Choice Specs_ before commanding the _Blizzard_ upon Mewtwo, and the subsequent damage it did to Tobuscus.

Now that Tim and the others had recovered, Tim made his own inspection of the frozen Blaziken while the other Pokémon joined Mewtwo.

"Is he going to be all right?" asked Squirtle to his guardian, glancing concernedly at Tobuscus.

"I hope so," muttered Mewtwo. He kneeled to Squirtle's level and lifted his helmet up so that he could talk properly.

"What happened to your eye?" Gengar asked, recoiling slightly. Squirtle, who wasn't looking, turned to see and mirrored Gengar's slight retraction.

"Something I'd rather not discuss," Mewtwo said shortly, twitching and feeling the bruised, swollen skin with his fingers. A half-glance in Tim's direction did much to give away the reason for the black eye; Gengar saw where he was looking and caused a small frown to crease his mouth, but he made no additional comments.

"Wouldn't it be horrible to get frozen, though?" asked Mewtwo to the small group. "I nearly did, and it hurt to move. I can't ever imagine not being able to move at all when you know full-well what's going on. Can you?"

"Don't—" Gengar shuddered, "Don't say… that scares me just thinking about it. And don't ask Tobuscus either, okay?"

"S—sorry," Mewtwo mumbled, "I won't."

The conversation issuing from the research team floated over to them, and they all listened in.

"...definitely frozen. Don't worry that you're not carrying heals, because we can take him to the Valley's Pokémon Center if he needs it."

"Okay…" replied a trembling voice.

Suddenly, a high-pitched whistling pierced the air, sounding like a kettle issuing steam. It grew louder and louder from Tobuscus's direction. Everyone looked around at the sound's origin and quickly closed in when it became apparent what was presently happening.

Copious steam poured from all over his body. The splitting and shattering ice cracked through the air like whips. The water was running down his body in streams, sliding down the ice before falling to the ground. The ice was still extremely thick, but a dull red color was radiating from underneath. Mewtwo could feel the temperature steadily increasing the longer he stood transfixed at the thawing process.

"Guys…" Bryce said slowly, "You might want to back up. Like, right now."

Everyone obeyed without question, hurrying backwards at least twenty feet. The red hue surrounding Tobuscus intensified into a dazzling yellow. Without warning, the ice covering Tobuscus broke completely, and fire engulfed his body instead. His screams of pain from trying to thaw his way out of his encasement echoed around the forest.

The flames were short-lived. Tobuscus fell onto all fours, heaving and shivering violently. His body was still discolored, but large spots of black now joined the mucky blue on his skin. He was obviously in unendurable agony. The group drew a collective breath when they saw the full picture unfold.

"What's happened to him…?" breathed Mewtwo.

"That's frostbite!" shouted Bryce. "Oh my God, what's going—TOBUSCUS!"

Tobuscus collapsed, shivered uncontrollably in the snow, drawing breath with extreme difficulty and fighting back tears of pain clinging to his eyelashes. Newly crystallized ice stuck around his beak, eyes, nostrils, and various other areas of his body. It looked like he had expended all his energy trying to thaw himself, and was now incapable of generating heat. Bryce dashed forward, letting his knees sink to the ground beside the fallen Pokémon. He took hold of him and said, "Tobuscus! Are you okay? TOBUSCUS!"

The addressed didn't respond and continued his shivering on the ground. Tim rushed to his side and shouted, "Bryce! You need to take him to the Pokémon Center right now! Fire Pokémon aren't meant for their body temperature to drop this low! If this frostbite persists, it's going to cause permanent damage!"

In a flash, Bryce unclipped a Pokéball from his belt and withdrew Tobuscus. He stood up, shaking nearly as badly as Tobuscus was, and stumbled forward a few steps before running pell-mell out of the forest. Steph hurriedly collected her bag of possessions and called out, "Glaceon! Follow me!"

Glaceon raced behind Steph, and the two gave chase to Bryce. They disappeared from view in no time at all. The remaining individuals stared transfixed where the previous three vanished over the sloping path.


	20. Old Friends

"Well," Mewtwo sighed, "that's one way to wrap up testing."

"I should probably go as well," said Tim uncertainly. "I didn't know the freezing would be so bad."

"Before you go," said Mewtwo, "what were you and Squirtle working on before you came?"

"Just improving his move set," said Tim, affirmed by a nod from Squirtle. "We can come back tomorrow to keep working, because we didn't quite finish today's goals."

"You sure?" asked Mewtwo. "I'd be more than happy to help out my little buddy here." He kneeled and put his hand on Squirtle's shoulder. Squirtle looked up with a smile.

"I can help too, if you need it," added Gengar, raising his hand in offering.

"I appreciate the offers, guys," said Tim, "But I really think I should go to the Pokémon Center and make sure Tobuscus is all right."

Squirtle spoke up and said, "If you're going to go, can I stay here with Mewtwo and Gengar and train with them?"

"That's a great idea!" exclaimed Mewtwo. "You can go to the Pokémon Center while we're up here!"

"I—well…" muttered Tim, clearly torn between wanting to do things himself and seeing that Squirtle completed his training. However, a glance at Mewtwo's bruised eye seemed to sway him more effectively than his own indecision.

"All right," he said, "but I expect you guys back in time for supper, or we'll think you've run off or something. Okay?"

They all agreed.

"Right," said Tim. "Here's what Squirtle and I were working on earlier—"

A distant, bird-like shriek—one that sounded miles away and thousands of feet in the air—cut across Tim like a blade. He stopped and looked around for the noise.

"What was that?" he asked to nobody in particular. All the others could do was shrug and only guess what produced the strange cry. "It sounded like it came from over there, didn't it?" He pointed south, in the direction of the highest, snow-capped peaks that enclosed the Valley.

"A little bit, yeah," said Gengar uncertainly. He glanced at Mewtwo concernedly, who was still crouched and fairly eye-level, and Mewtwo reciprocated. Neither could pinpoint exactly why, but the shriek sounded like some sort of warning; like something was coming… Maybe he was being paranoid, but Mewtwo felt like they weren't to be here anymore.

"I thought it sounded a bit like a Pokémon, didn't it?" asked Mewtwo.

Tim turned around with a confused expression and said, "Now that I think about it, it kind of did. But I don't know of any Pokémon that makes that sound. From the six hundred or so Pokémon I studied, I can identify its cry in almost a heartbeat. That one—I've never heard anything like it."

A second, identical shriek, this one far closer and louder than the last, pierced the air.

"There it is again!" said Tim. "Is it still—?"

"Look!" Mewtwo shouted, pointing over the mountains from where the call first issued. Everyone's eyes followed Mewtwo's finger. Against the bright blue sky, a dark shape emerged. It looked like a small airplane, but it was certainly no man-made object. This being had huge, sweeping wings it flapped at intervals, and the beast was growing larger and larger at an incredibly fast rate, heading directly for them. Meanwhile, a sneaking, deep-seated suspicion was creeping upon Mewtwo like a chill. He had only the vaguest of ideas who might be accompanying this creature, and he prayed that his fears would not come true.

Whatever this was, it did not bode well.

"Tim," Mewtwo said in a surprisingly commanding voice he didn't recognize as his own, "take Squirtle and get out of here. Right now. Go to the Pokémon Center and stay there until I come back."

"You're—what are you—?"

"Just do it."

Mewtwo looked straight into Squirtle's scared face and said, "Go with Tim to the Pokémon Center. You'll be safe there."

"But what if—" Squirtle began, but Mewtwo took hold of his shoulders to quiet him.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"I don't want to lose you too!" cried out Squirtle. He grabbed hold of one of Mewtwo's hands with both of his shaking ones and held tight. His eyes blinked and sparkled in the sunlight, softening Mewtwo's heart.

"You won't lose me," Mewtwo whispered, "I promise."

He pulled Squirtle into a tight, reassuring hug. Squirtle squeezed as hard as he could, obviously trying to put all of his feelings in this single gesture. He wasn't going to fail Squirtle.

"And Gengar?" Tim asked as Squirtle disengaged, "What's he going to do?"

Mewtwo and Gengar looked into each other's eyes, and a sort of understanding transmitted between the two. The hardness and resolution in Gengar's eyes was clear. In combination with his nod, the intentions were undeniable.

"He's staying," said Mewtwo. "I'm pretty sure we have some unfinished business to take care of together."

One corner of Gengar's mouth lifted, and, for a brief moment, Mewtwo glimpsed a cunning, mischievous shadow of his former self float to the surface.

"But enough lollygagging!" said Mewtwo, his commanding voice returning in full measure. He gave Squirtle a little push in Tim's direction, stood up straight, and added, "You guys need to get out of here. Run, and don't look back! Stay out of sight from the sky until you get to Ether!"

They obeyed. Dashing out of sight, Mewtwo heard their rapid footsteps die away quickly. The third shriek was a deafening one; Mewtwo estimated it couldn't have been farther away than a half-mile. He knew there was little time.

"Gengar," he said, eyes fixated on the shadow bearing down upon them, "Go hide in that clump of evergreens over there. Stay in the shadows, and don't do anything until I tell you to. If anything happens to turn really sour, then do what you must."

Gengar did as he was requested. On the edge of the low-hanging branches, he turned back and asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Mewtwo stared back into the burgundy eyes, one time aglow with a wicked, scarlet hue. Both knew that neither could make amends with their pasts, but could at least confront them. Now, after nearly two months of picking up the scattered pieces, the puzzle was nearly completed. Neither could desert this moment, for both have been deprived of meeting their maker for far too long. Now was the time to act.

"I'm positive I want to do this," said Mewtwo calmly. "It's finally time we come face-to-face. I'm ready."

Gengar nodded. His body mysteriously melted into the shadows of the trees, but Mewtwo traced his eyes settling amongst the thick branches. He was nearly out of sight; a perfect place to see, but not be seen. Mewtwo turned back to face the beast bearing down upon them, but barely got a chance to see the shadow of a giant Y in the sky before another, much smaller shadow seemed to leap from its back.

Mewtwo had no time to prepare himself. He was knocked to the ground in an instant and found himself staring right into a Pokémon's eyes, not even three inches from his face. The newcomer had one hand around Mewtwo's neck and a combat knife at his throat, the cold blade flirting with his skin. Mewtwo breathed in a foul smell of mud, algae, and seaweed off of the Pokémon's breath. Its moist skin left a film of water on whatever it touched.

"Nice seeing you again, Mewtwo," he growled in Mewtwo's ear. "It's been far too long since we caught up; fifteen or sixteen years it's been, hasn't it? And who blackened your eye? I'd like to send them flowers."

"You'd better shut up," snarled Mewtwo with equal bite, "or I'll give you something worse than a black eye, Golduck. Get off of me."

"Not until I've had my say," Golduck spat. "You abandoned Team Rocket and left us to crumble after the failure with the Silph Company. We were so close to clinching all of Kanto, but all you cared about was yourself. Even when you were part of Diamond Squad, you had your own interests at heart, not ours."

"You never did like me, did you?" retorted Mewtwo. "You always kept your distance from me and hardly went on any missions I was a part of. Were you scared of me, Golduck? Scared I was too good?"

Golduck tightened his hold on Mewtwo's neck, making him choke and splutter.

"You never deserved the Captaincy for Diamond Squad, and you know it," snapped Golduck, leaning farther into Mewtwo's face and cutting off his airway. "I was better than anyone there. All Giovanni wanted to do was keep you happy, even if you didn't ask for it. I saw right through it. I spent four years trying to rise to the top, but you stopped me from getting there at the last second. You'll be paying for that…"

The knife's blade was being pressed, apparently unconsciously, into Mewtwo's neck. His flesh was giving to the blade, but it wouldn't be long before skin was broken. He could feel his blood pounding beneath Golduck's fingers and the knife. He couldn't draw breath and was scared that any action would end disastrously, but a familiar, unlikely voice intervened.

"ZERO-FIVE!" the voice bellowed, "Return to your position!"

Golduck jolted as if he received an electric shock. He jumped off of Mewtwo, squelching on his armor, and hurried backwards to the source of the command. Mewtwo got up, massaging his throat, to lay eyes upon a very strange assembly.

The most noticeable of this group was the beast that had presumably hauled them all here. It was a huge, avian thing towering over the rest at double Mewtwo's height. It definitely resembled a bird, but it was also exceedingly different than anything Mewtwo ever saw. It didn't have wings; rather, its limbs—including one where its tail should have been—were more like arms and hands with huge claws. Its main color scheme was red, black, and gray; a vividly red underside with black adorations, a black back, and a feathery gray ruff that flowed and billowed around its neck. There were black horns on its head, pointing forward and looking like scythes above its eyes. Because its limbs were so large, it clasped its wings (or hands or whatever they were to be called) so that they wouldn't lay on the ground awkwardly. Its tail sprawled out behind in the snow.

The next largest thing was someone he hadn't noticed in the sky. Charizard, carrying another passenger, managed to land on the ground. He was still wearing his black Kevlar vest, just like Mewtwo always remembered. His appearance changed some since Mewtwo last saw him: an aged, weathered face; tired eyes; perhaps a little thinner; and, most noticeably, not carrying any firearms.

Raichu, who had just dismounted from Charizard's back, looked a little more fit, but still bore the same worn-out air Charizard exemplified. He too wore his Kevlar vest and carried no weapons.

Sandslash was standing next to the red beast, chewing on a toothpick protruding from his mouth. He didn't look angry like Golduck, merely bored with the proceedings. His arms were crossed and his face quite expressionless. A new scar right over his eye adorned his face, making him look like an old war hero.

As Mewtwo's eyes traveled between this odd reunion of old and new, a flash of brightest red more vivid than the new creature's underbelly appeared from behind it. Mewtwo looked for the source and felt a leap of rage inside his stomach.

Silver was saddled on this thing's back, peeking out from behind with the saddest of faces. Mewtwo couldn't believe she was in league with this party. This was certainly the last place he expected her to show up. How could she be a part of it?

"Afternoon, Mewtwo," spoke up the same voice that called off Golduck. For one wild moment, Mewtwo thought the voice issued from the giant beast, but he spotted a person in a red suit that blended well with the creature he was standing in front of.

Of all the old faces there, Giovanni's had changed the most. The last time he saw him, he was a smooth-looking man in top condition. Now, time served to rob him of some of his looks. Lines etched his face and the finely chiseled features seemed to have been worn smooth. His short, closely cropped hair was graying; a tell-tale sign of age and stress. His body had thinned out as well, and he certainly looked like he had seen better days.

"Afternoon…" Mewtwo replied cautiously. He didn't want to say anything stupid, but he was bursting to pay something back to this man and his team who wrecked so many people. Small talk should help keep his temper in check.

For now.

"I see you're wearing your new suit of armor," said Giovanni, acknowledging the beautiful carbon fiber glint reflecting off of Mewtwo's body. "How do you like it?"

Mewtwo didn't answer the question; on the contrary, he proposed his own.

"How do you know about this suit?" he asked suspiciously.

Giovanni gave a dry chuckle and said, "I paid for it! Your friends from Cerulean University put in a written request to fabricate the whole thing in a mere four weeks! It cost a fortune and then some, I tell you. You wouldn't believe the man hours that got poured into your suit. Nobody pulled any stops… not even myself. It's so technologically advanced, there are parts it uses that are not commercially available. I had to do a lot of convincing to get you that suit, Mewtwo."

Mewtwo's mind was imploding upon itself. He had a suspicion that something like this would come to light, but it still didn't prepare himself for the utter devastation it wreaked on him.

"You—" Mewtwo stuttered, "You're—_you_ fund the research team?"

"Of course!" Giovanni said, apparently unprepared for Mewtwo's slowness. "I created that team three years ago and funded it ever since! The four students that are a part of it currently are some of the brightest researchers I've ever seen. I knew their knowledge is invaluable, so I offered them the course of study with all expenses paid. The two high school students from the United States are particularly interesting, because both have Pokémon that are extremely powerful; I believe they were the strongest on the East Coast from my research, but neither are aware of the fact. Lucky me that they attended the same high school. I've been hoping for a few months now that I could see how their Pokémons' powers compare to the strongest in Japan. Truthfully, I thought their skills would go unrivaled to anything thrown their way.

"But when I saw you were helping with the research team, I couldn't believe the report from Timothy Bishop. A few days after I received his letter referencing the Mega Ring's successes, I got another saying you were in the University's laboratories yourself. I'm sure you could imagine my confusion; a Pokémon whom I commanded myself fifteen years ago, saw disappear right before my eyes, and thought dead, back and helping out _this_ research team? I was baffled beyond belief! One of the most—if not _the_ most powerful Pokémon that ever existed back amongst humanity? And even more bizarrely, _doing good things_ for the world? The mind-numbing truth…!"

"Guess it's time for you to catch up with reality, Giovanni," Mewtwo responded as if the two were discussing the matter over drinks. "I've done a lot of things you might never believe possible from me. You remember Squirtle? The one you left to die in Cerulean? I'm his guardian, now. Gengar, your finest henchman until this past October? No longer brainwashed and, like me, using his potentials for good."

"Speaking of," said Giovanni, "I received another report yesterday, saying that you and several others, including the very same Gengar, were to be here testing out your armor's capabilities. Where are they?"

Mewtwo knew it would be far too noticeable to look anywhere but at the speaker or those that accompanied him. Under the clear presumption of turning his head slightly to face Charizard standing on the far end, he glimpsed the faint glow of two burgundy dots still nestled in the shadows of an evergreen in his peripheral vision.

"Not here," Mewtwo said as casually as possible. "Couldn't make it."

Giovanni frowned.

"That's unfortunate," he said as he shifted his weight from foot to foot, "I really wanted to meet them all in person… especially Gengar. I wonder how he's been getting along, because I heard that Allen Greene is his trainer now. Gengar really was a fine helper, like you said yourself…"

Though Mewtwo wasn't showing it, this conversation was irritating him beyond endurance. Why was Giovanni acting so unbelievably calm? Was he trying to lull him into a false sense of security? Or was he hoping to catch him off-guard at the right time? Whatever the case, Mewtwo was determined to strike first and not let it happen. However, he was sure an opening move on his part would be a terrible mistake. A seven-on-one situation existed without Gengar's help, and even with his help, the ratio would still be too unfavorable. He needed the jump without five Pokémon ready to strike him before taking out one or two at the most.

Half of his mind wandered off while the other half remained present for Giovanni's conversation.

"—My daughter, Silver, in fact, commented that she liked him the most out of all the Pokémon she's interacted with," continued Giovanni. Silver buried her face into the gray ruff around the red beast's neck and released a dry sob. The beast turned its head, a disgusted look on its face.

"Who's your friend, if I may ask?" asked Mewtwo abruptly, motioning to it.

"I'm glad you brought that up, Mewtwo," said Giovanni with a hint of relish at the question. "This is Yveltal, a legendary Pokémon from the new Kalos region. He is unique, just like you are; only one exists on planet Earth. I traveled with these trusted Pokémon beside me to Kalos, hoping I could claim something rare as my own…"

_So his habits haven't changed,_ Mewtwo thought dully. _Still has an unquenchable thirst for the rare and exclusive. Yveltal doesn't know what's really in store for him down the road._

Suddenly, a spark flew from the wandering half of his mind and ignited an idea. Praying it would work because he was so out of practice, he let his thoughts take over.

_Gengar? If you can hear me, use your thoughts to respond!_

"—actually, we found him in a sort of giant cocoon in the basement of someone's headquarters; Team Flare, I think they called themselves… they had the most ridiculous outfits I've ever seen…"

_Gengar! I need you right now! Just think and we can communicate!_

"All we wanted to do was explore, but I guess they didn't take too kindly to that, nor when we defeated everyone that was there. They were swearing revenge, but how could they when they didn't even have the power to stop us?"

Finally, the familiar voice broke through Giovanni's monologue:

_What! What is this? How are you—?_

_Never mind that, we're going to stop them right now. I can't act alone, and we'll be outnumbered unless we can get a jump on them. I need you to cause some sort of distraction so that I can make a move first. Don't harm anyone yet. Can you do that for me?_

_I—yeah, I can—err… I'll think of something._

Mewtwo, still observing Gengar's watchful eyes, saw them disappear from his peripheral vision. His muscles tensed, but Mewtwo didn't make any movements, lest he give away his intentions. He mentally prepared himself, ready to act when it was time. Meanwhile, Giovanni was still speaking, apparently under the impression that Mewtwo was still listening.

"So we took Yveltal back to Kanto and tested his strength and powers as soon as possible," Giovanni continued. "He was remarkable, I tell you; nearly as admirable as you were, Mewtwo."

"You don't say?" remarked Mewtwo skeptically, "How so?"

"The sheer power!" exclaimed Giovanni. "You wouldn't believe it! The ability to steal the life energy of all living things! We found out its signature move as well; Oblivion Wing can steal up to three-quarters of the opponent's health. Such a powerful move, and so destructive on the opposition. I believe your friend Squirtle found out the hard way, though… his father, too. We thought Squirtle had potential, but we were sadly mistaken."

Instantly, red-hot rage swelled to Mewtwo's head, blocking out all other thought except for the one reaching Gengar's mind:

_Do it. Now._

There was no delay between the command and its execution. Barely had the thought crossed his mind when Yveltal collapsed, bellowing a horrible screech. Silver fell off of his back with a shriek and fell a good many feet—at least eight or nine—straight to the cold hard ground. However, she landed softly… too softly, in fact. A strange purple glow, not from Mewtwo's own hand, cushioned her fall.

Almost in synchronization, everyone turned at the uproar behind them. Mewtwo wasted no time with their lack of attention, and, pulling on his helmet again in one swift, smooth motion, released a sweeping burst of energy from the palm of his hands.

Nearly everyone lost their balance from the rush that befell them. Only one, Charizard, kept on his feet long enough to retaliate. A long jet of fire issued from his mouth and flew towards Mewtwo before Charizard stumbled. Mewtwo braced for the impact, throwing up his shields in time to meet the flames. The intense heat met him head on, but the shields did their job admirably. Thankfully, all he felt was a sharp rise in temperature.

Within a second of recovering from the flames, a huge lash of water whipped Mewtwo in the face. He wasn't ready for this second barrage that cost him precious moments pressing an advantage. Golduck had quickly sprung back onto his feet, set on charging Mewtwo. Behind Golduck, Gengar reappeared in the dazzling sunlight, positioned behind the entire party and ready to act. As Golduck started to send another, more damaging surge of water, a ball of dark shadow intercepted the attack. Gengar dashed into battle, striking Golduck across the face with a dazzlingly quick _Shadow Claw_. Not a second after impact with Golduck was Gengar knocked to the ground by a powerful jolt of electricity. Raichu swiftly darted to Golduck's side, setting up a two-on-one situation against Gengar. Recovering quickly and using speed to his advantage, Gengar maneuvered between the two, attacking and counter-attacking at every possible opportunity.

Mewtwo was about to assist Gengar when Charizard proceeded to block his path. His wings were beating a steady tattoo, clearly indicating he was holding his ground. Mewtwo stanced, prepared to wage some real battling, but an inconvenience in the form of Yveltal shot from the ground like a cork in water and distracted him. A malevolent aura of black radiated from the sky borne Yveltal, raising a sudden chill up Mewtwo's spine. The dense shadows surrounding Yveltal shifted and swirled around him before solidifying. The mass of black hovered for a moment in Yveltal's outstretched hands—all three of them; his tail was holding shadows as well—before he released the _Dark Pulse_ directly at Mewtwo.

Instinctively, Mewtwo's knees bent, his weight shifted sideways, and he jumped out of the path of speeding blackness not a moment too soon. The attack forced Charizard to break his stance and duck out of the way as well. The _Dark Pulse_ collided with the ground and produced a noiseless explosion, leaving a crater devoid of anything but dirt in its wake. Mid-jump, Mewtwo was propelled forward an extra few feet from the shockwave of Yveltal's attack. He fell hard into the ground, feeling the snow melting on contact with his skin, heated by the intense stress of this genuine mess of ongoing battles. He pushed himself upright again only to find Charizard doing the same.

Now Mewtwo had to prioritize; Yveltal was priming to attack again, but Charizard was closer and, by the looks of it, going to be ready to strike faster than the beast flying high above. To deal with this, Mewtwo first threw a psychic punch at Charizard, causing him to lose his balance again, then faced Yveltal once more.

In Mewtwo's vision, Yveltal was highlighted a vivid red, marked as an attacker. His HUD displayed a flashing text notification, reading, 'Dark type Pokémon detected. Cannot damage without _Miracle Eye._'

Thinking fast, Mewtwo shot a huge ball of energy straight at Yveltal's head. He took the bait; panicking, Yveltal swerved to miss the fake attack, giving Mewtwo enough time to take a good hard look at Yveltal and identify him.

It was exactly what Mewtwo needed. The armor's computer recognized the Pokémon by tapping Mewtwo's brain in conjunction with the _Miracle Eye_ move he used. Now, the previous notification was replaced by a new one, which said, 'Identified YVELTAL.' He was about to make a move when a terrible cry of pain distracted him.

Golduck and Raichu were rapidly gaining the upper hand against Gengar. He was losing ground against his opponents, and in the few seconds that Mewtwo dared to watch, Gengar got hit once, twice, thrice in a row. The last blow from Golduck unseated him. His eyes looked exceedingly dazed while he tried to remain standing, but before he could do anything else, Raichu threw a sucker punch right into Gengar's kidney.

Gengar was rendered motionless; all he could do was kneel on the ground, gasping for breath. Golduck approached him like a king before his subject. He unsheathed his combat knife again, twirling it in his hand effortlessly. Golduck cracked an evil, toothy grin, spreading across his whole bill. Raichu was rubbing his knuckles, preparing to deliver another blow or two if need be. Golduck held his knife underhand and drew it back, ready to plunge it straight into Gengar's flesh, but could not complete the action. He and Raichu were raised into the air by no visible means of support except for a vibrant violet glow around their figures. Their shouts quickly silenced after both got thrown into tree trunks; the frozen ground; Charizard, who was caught watching and knocked unconscious when Golduck's body collided with his head at high speed; and finally Yveltal.

_WHAM!_

The tangle of bodies fell a colossal thirty feet to the earth with a bone-shaking crash. Yveltal tried to raise himself off of the two unmoving Pokémon beneath him, but Mewtwo was upon him before he could react. Mewtwo threw psychic punches and energy, actual punches, and anything he could do to harm Yveltal. Finally, with blood pouring out of Yveltal's nostrils and slack jawed mouth, Mewtwo whipped his tail at full force, turning a full three hundred sixty degrees to achieve the action. The rigid carbon fiber ribs encasing his tail hit Yveltal's head with massive force. He collapsed sideways, rolling onto his back beside Golduck and Raichu, limbs outstretched and motionless.

Mewtwo doubled over with his hands on his knees, totally winded from his attacks. In the moment, he could feel a glow of his old self seep through to the present and couldn't control it as well as he hoped. He dazedly stared at the damage he inflicted while a confusing mix of satisfaction, guilt, and pity wormed through his stomach. Mewtwo glanced behind him to find Gengar lying sideways in the snow, clutching where Raichu punched him. Mewtwo hurried up, kneeled beside him, and laid a hand on his shoulder, asking, "Are you all right?"

Gengar's face was scrunched up in pain, but he managed to nod, breathing as hard as if he ran a marathon.

"Cheap shots…" he grunted, "Damn them and everyone that throws 'em to hell…"

"You did really well there, Gengar," Mewtwo said. "Taking on two Pokémon at once, especially considering how skilled they were… That's no easy task at all."

Gengar gave a weak chuckle and added, "Couldn't hold up forever. Thanks for having my back right there. I owe you one."

Mewtwo smiled tiredly and said, "I'm just doing what friends do. Watching out for each other, you know?"

"Well," said Gengar, "That's one way to put it, I guess. But for something like that, a thank you isn't enough."

"Of course it—"

Mewtwo's words were cut off by a sound issuing from near the pile of unconscious Pokémon. Giovanni was staring right at the two of them, bringing his hands together at intervals and clapping extremely slowly and deliberately. His expression was unhappy and sour, presumably due to the fact that he was surrounded by his own knocked-out Pokémon. The sight gave Mewtwo a deep-seated satisfaction.

"Well done," droned Giovanni with a frown, "You two just managed to wipe out the entire Diamond Squad and then some. That impresses me… and I'm not easily impressed."

"You don't look like it," said Gengar, still speaking a little weakly from having been punched in the kidney.

"Don't let me misguide you," returned Giovanni, "I can assure you that I am indeed stunned by both of your performances. However, I am curious… why couldn't Mewtwo perform so admirably when he was under my hand for nearly a year?"

Mewtwo's eyes locked with Giovanni's. Inside Giovanni's eyes, Mewtwo finally peered through the facade that entrapped him all of those years ago. The eyes that once brought Mewtwo the feeling of life and liberty deteriorated into dark bitterness. The mask of a normal, successful business man lifted; now all that stood before Mewtwo was a power-hungry maniac... a maniac that needed to be stopped. Now.

Mewtwo gritted his teeth. He began to transition his armor settings to full offensive when Giovanni's crisp voice cut through his focus.

"What a shame. You once had a chance for greatness. All the work you've done over the years... wasted. Murder, deception, everything; all of it for you to change your mind."

_Just ignore him..._ Mewtwo thought to himself. As his armor correlates with his thoughts, he could not let any of Giovanni's words get to him.

"Was that change of heart worth it? I'd be delighted to listen to you tell all the families you've destroyed that it was all for naught; that it was all just an experiment. The loss of their family member was for nothing."

"_You're_ telling me that?" Mewtwo spat with disgust, springing upright.

"Everything I've ever done was for one greater goal. There was meaning behind every action. Where was your meaning? Everything you've done has been for nothing. You, as you are now, are nothing as a result of your failure. Then again, that's all you've ever been from the start."

A deep rage began building inside Mewtwo. His resentment towards Giovanni churned within every nook and cranny of his brain.

"Fool, just because you changed your mind-set doesn't mean you can stop acting as my pawn. You are still going to be of use to me, only now you've lost any opportunity for a shred of happiness."

Mewtwo's fingers began to convulse. Now the rage began to cloud his brain like a thick fog. He barely saw the flashing notification on his HUD that said, 'WARNING: Circuitry overheating.' Through the haze of recklessness now impairing his vision and thoughts, he heard Giovanni utter one last phrase:

"You're just an outright failure, Mewtwo, and that's all you ever were. Nobody loves you… including your 'friends.' You are the loneliest, most disgraceful Pokémon the world has ever seen. Not even your own parents—oh, wait… you have none."

That was the ticket to make Mewtwo snap.

Mewtwo completely and totally forgot his surroundings. The taunts and falsehoods that came from the man standing so close riled him up so badly that most every other thought was wiped clean. Only one thought remained: to blast Giovanni into oblivion.

Mewtwo ignored the cries for his retreat issuing from Gengar and moved to conjure up a _Hyper Beam_, but something was wrong with his armor. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make the luminous ball of orange appear in his trembling hands. Another thing he noticed as well; when he moved his limbs, it felt like he was trying to struggle through neck-deep quicksand, or he couldn't move at all, or he moved in the complete wrong direction. He let out a roar of frustration, not noticing another notification on his HUD. He completely missed the text flashing in bold, bright red letters, which said, 'CIRCUITRY FAILURE.' Mewtwo's armor was malfunctioning, and he didn't have the sense to simply remove his helmet.

Giovanni watched without comment thus far. He seemed extremely amused watching Mewtwo battle with his own stupidity. In contrast, Gengar was watching from the ground in horror. He tried to get up, but could hardly raise himself without doubling over in pain. Giovanni saw this motion and said, "Ahh, Gengar, don't expend your energy! There's no hope for him, anyway. I don't know why you wasted so much time with him before now, to be honest. He's a hopeless cause that wallows in his own pity and leans on his friends to even function properly. Have you noticed that most of the people he's come into contact with wind up injured or dead? I can assure you that you'd be much safer and happier without him."

"You jest, Giovanni," gasped Gengar, "I don't care if Mewtwo was my murderer, or even helped assassinate my own father, because he saved me from a wretch like you. At least he's trying to turn his life around. You? You're just the same, evil bastard you always were."

Giovanni moved not a muscle. Only his eyes shifted slightly off of the scene before him to look at someone padding quietly through the snow. Gengar neither noticed nor heard the silent Pokémon approaching, and only realized he was there when razor-sharp claws sliced open his back.

Meanwhile, Mewtwo was still hopelessly struggling against his own armor, trying to force it to accept commands it would not take. The circuitry was fried from his reckless rage earlier, causing his suit to behave erratically and force Mewtwo's limbs into some bizarre positions. In one moment where Mewtwo's entire body was frozen stiff by an erroneous execution by the armor, the same flash of claws that brought Gengar to the ground found itself darting through the back of Mewtwo's helmet and taking out a large chunk of it.

The power of Sandslash's attack compromised Mewtwo's balance, forcing him to take several steps forward and retain it. Mewtwo's vision went corrupt, going haywire due to the damage the helmet sustained. He also felt a stinging sensation on the back of his head, and, when he put a hand to the affected area (now able to move quite freely), withdrew it to discover warm, wet blood. Mewtwo glanced around to see Sandslash a few feet away, gazing straight at him as if daring him to come closer. But when Mewtwo turned back to his former position and saw a disgustingly smug smile on Giovanni's face, the mere sight angered him far more than the Pokémon that just attacked him. He almost started to charge the man when something in his peripheral vision made him stop dead still.

Gengar was running as fast as he could towards Giovanni, stumbling or falling every few steps and sometimes struggling to raise himself from the ground. Mewtwo couldn't understand this until he saw the cause that chilled him to the bone marrow. Two massive slash marks opened up his back, staining the wounds and making his entire backside reflect the world with a dark red hue. He was leaving blood in his wake, turning the snow into a trail of red. A look of purest hate was etched on Gengar's face, not unlike what Mewtwo felt just moments before.

"You're a dead man, Giovanni!" screamed Gengar so loudly that it echoed all around them in the forest clearing, "A dead man walking, I say! _I'm gonna kill you!"_

Gengar was barely five yards from Giovanni, having tripped again in his haste, when the latter reached for the inside of his suit jacket. Within the second, he grabbed hold of an object attached to his suspenders, withdrew a handgun, and pointed it directly between Gengar's eyes. Everyone froze, including Sandslash, who was still standing behind Mewtwo. Gengar's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates at the sight of staring down the gun's barrel. Immediately, a glistening sweat broke out on his brow and his mouth hung open slightly in disbelief.

Mewtwo recognized the handgun in less time than it took Giovanni to draw it. The Desert Eagle was exactly the same as he remembered it; matte black, sleek, and loaded with deadly cartridges. The sound of the weapon's safety clicked so loudly in the still air that it carried the same echo as Gengar's screams. Giovanni had eyes only for Gengar.

"By all means, continue your advance," breathed Giovanni. He spoke hardly above a whisper but made sure his words reached all ears, especially the ones belonging to the addressed, "I'll be delighted to give a deserter of Team Rocket his punishment."

Gengar's face contorted with rage as he bellowed, "BLUFFS! ALL OF THEM! YOU MANIPULATE AND KILL INNOCENT PEOPLE AND POKÉMON! YOU MANIPULATE YOUR OWN _DAUGHTER!_ YOU—!"

Evidently, words simply failed him at this point. Gengar was set with murder in his eyes and heart. Ignoring Giovanni's warning, he scrambled upright and simultaneously took a step towards the man whom he just verbally assaulted.

A step was all Gengar could take before Giovanni pulled the trigger.

The shooter's aim was true. The unseeable bullet traveled like a laser beam right into Gengar's forehead, ignoring bone, flesh, or anything that had the slimmest chance of stopping the bullet. The copper and lead disintegrated into shrapnel, leaving an exit wound far more devastating than the entry wound. A gaping hole, larger than a fist, appeared when most everything got expelled from inside Gengar's head. The drastic change in inertia caused Gengar to fall backwards, even though he was running forward. He collapsed with a _fwump_ on the ground, gazing with open eyes at the clear blue sky he could not see.

Now Mewtwo's rage returned beyond full measure and more powerfully than he ever felt before. Pure, unfiltered instinct commandeered his brain completely, leaving no space for the tiniest morsel of rational thought. His desire to kill Giovanni burned hotter than the sun in the sky as he ripped off his ruined helmet and charged with blistering speed, gathering vibrantly purple energy in both of his hands. But just as quickly, Giovanni turned the gun on Mewtwo.

Time slowed down to a legitimate crawl the moment Mewtwo found himself on the other end of the Desert Eagle. He was still sprinting towards his target but completely out of control of his own actions, seeing that he already committed to rushing Giovanni. Giovanni's expressionless eyes, long ago devoid of compassion, stared straight into Mewtwo's violet ones. In combination with the handgun, the sight made his brain grind to a screeching halt.

_Don't think you can get off scot-free, Mewtwo,_ said Giovanni, though he didn't open his mouth in the slightest, _You're not the only one who has deserted Team Rocket over the years. All of them received what they deserved, just like your friend Gengar. Now, I will permit you one last chance until the New Year to give yourself up for Team Rocket. If you refuse, you'll be joining Gengar and the countless others that were killed by your hand. You can't outrun Team Rocket, Mewtwo; try, and you will die._

In excruciatingly slow motion, Mewtwo saw Giovanni lower the gun. Mewtwo thought he was going to holster it and allow a chance to strike, but he was wrong. Giovanni fired with the gun still aimed at Mewtwo.

Instantly and unexpectedly, reality caught the two of them up, giving Mewtwo absolutely no time to react before the bullet entered his stomach. It punched right through his chestplate like it was paper. Mewtwo felt the bullet explode flesh and blood out his lower back with unholy pain. In direct response, his legs stopped working and lost all of their strength. Mewtwo fell to the ground at speed, causing him to roll and tumble through the snow and spray blood droplets everywhere. He came to rest face-down in the ground, hearing almost nothing else but a deafening pounding in his ears. With each throb of his heart, his newly-acquired wound felt like someone was punching him within his midriff over and over again. He could scarcely draw breath as he felt a warm trickle of blood run out of the corner of his mouth against his cold face. Hotter blood poured out of his back like a river, rapidly spreading throughout the snow in his surrounding area. He raised his head just off the ground—all the further he could lift with his strength—and found his nose centimeters away from Giovanni's polished shoes. Giovanni bent down so that the grievously injured Pokémon could look into his eyes.

"This is just a little bit of your suffering, Mewtwo," said Giovanni quietly in Mewtwo's ear, just loud enough over the steady tattoo blocking out all other sound, "One dead friend and a gunshot wound is _nothing_ if you don't re-join Team Rocket. Fail to heed my advice again, and I will personally ensure the death of every one of your friends. I will make you watch while they beg for my mercy. I will break you into a pulp of your former self with no chance of happiness or retribution. I will make you pay for what you cost us fifteen years ago at the height of our power. You will be sorry you ever lived, Mewtwo…"

A beep issued from a device on Giovanni's waist. He unclipped a cell phone from his belt and looked at the screen, a frown becoming more and more pronounced on his face with the passing seconds. He sighed disappointedly and returned his phone to where it belonged and holstered his handgun. Standing up, he said, "Hoping you have fun, Mewtwo, because I must go back to headquarters. Some idiots can't run the place while I'm away. Honest to God…"

Mewtwo lifted an arm forward, trying to reach Giovanni's shoes and grab hold, but they retreated outside of arm's length. He let his arm and head fall with a _thump_ to the ground, lacking the stamina to keep either up. Giovanni flitted about to his feebly stirring Pokémon, rousing them and keeping good distance from the gory scene he just vacated.

"Hurry up, there," commanded Giovanni, "we need to move out immediately. A disturbance was reported, and our assistance is requested." He paused before adding, "Zero-five, must I tell you to move again?"

A good deal of footsteps began to shuffle about, but Mewtwo could not see it happen. All that was in his field of view was snow in one eye and the surrounding trees and evergreens in the other. Gengar's body lay some five or so yards away like a forgotten toy. His glassy eyes were still wide-open, reflecting the perfectly blue sky and the warm rays of sunshine. If only this could have been the last thing he saw, and not the rifling of a gun's barrel…

Words floated over to where Mewtwo lay, but he could only make out a fraction of it.

"Is he—? But wh—sh? You c—can—?"

Someone responded, and Mewtwo heard the flapping of massive wings not long after. The dry snow drifted along from the breeze created by the wings and a whoosh announced the departure of the only ones that knew a dead and a dying Pokémon were in this forest. Mewtwo's last hope for survival just took off into the morning sky, and there wasn't a thing he could do.

Mewtwo tried to move again with all of his strength, but he couldn't budge more than a fraction of an inch. He felt his own sticky blood clinging to him in between his skin and armor. The snow obstructing his one eye began to turn red. The pool of blood Mewtwo was laying in had spread to encompass his whole body and now stuck to the side of his face, hot and uncomfortable. Though in reality, this was nothing to the unendurable pain that tore at everything left in his stomach.

Blackness began to creep in from the edges of his vision. The world was slowly dimming away from its bright self, completely smashing Mewtwo's hopes through the ground. He knew there was no chance of him being rescued, but the sight cast what was left of his prayers into oblivion. What a terrible way to die.

At least he'll be able to see Gengar soon.

The blackness was now almost all-consuming. Mewtwo felt like he was looking into the wrong end of a telescope, he could see so little. Should he just close his eyes and wait to die? Was there really anything else he could do besides wait? Gengar was already dead, and nobody other than Tim and Squirtle knew what might have happened to the two of them. But by the time they would think to check, Mewtwo would be long gone. He closed his eyes, wishing everything would stop. He didn't want to feel anymore; he just wanted to die.

"Mewtwo! _Mewtwo!_ Can you hear me?"

The voice did the trick. Mewtwo felt like he got pulled out of a tunnel as his eyes snapped back open. Though the blackness still persisted like a vignette on the edge of his vision, he could see. And he was looking right into the distressed face of Silver.

"Can you hear me?" repeated Silver.

All Mewtwo could do was groan a raspy, gurgling breath through the blood coagulating within his throat. But eventually, he labored through the pain because his life depended on uttering one single word:

"Yes."

Silver reached forward to touch the exposed side of Mewtwo's face. Despite the cold, her hand was soft and warm against Mewtwo's skin. This simple touch had a monumental impact on Mewtwo's spirits. Silver really wasn't in allegiance with her father after all; her true spirit rested where it belonged.

"Don't move," said Silver, "because you'll be worse off if you try. Just—stay calm, okay? We'll get you out of this mess. I promise."

_We? Who's we?_

Silver arose and went over to where Mewtwo knew Gengar's body was. She leaned over him, apparently trying to assess the situation. But what happened next nearly made Mewtwo's heart stop.

Gengar, however sluggishly, lifted himself to a sitting position, rubbing his forehead like he had a headache. He was exchanging some words with Silver with an occasional grimace of pain. When Gengar removed his hand from where a bullet hole should have been, Mewtwo saw not a trace of the evidence.

Silver returned to Mewtwo accompanied by Gengar, both ignoring the pool of blood Mewtwo lay in. Gengar took in a lengthy breath upon sighting the gaping wound in Mewtwo's back and turned away slightly.

"That's bad…" he said. "He needs to get to the Pokémon Center right now. But how can we get him there? And will they know how to deal with something like this?"

"Nurse Joy can deal with anything," said Silver, "and I've already arranged transportation from Team Rocket's local base. Their Little Bird will be here in ninety seconds."

"A Team Rocket helicopter is coming here to help?" asked Gengar suspiciously, "Won't they know who we are?"

"Normally they would, which could raise some problems, but luckily, these guys I know very well. We're very friendly, so they shouldn't ask questions, even if they do recognize you two. They know who I really am, unlike my father," Silver added bitterly.

"And they won't turn us in or anything like that?"

"Not on their lives. I already asked them—"

"Gengar…"

Silver and Gengar jumped, apparently forgetting that Mewtwo was still there. Gengar dropped down on his knees so that Mewtwo could see him.

"What?" asked Gengar concernedly, "What is it?"

"How… How—are—?"

Mewtwo's raspy voice, already weakened by the bullet wound, was further impeded by the blood still in his throat. He had real trouble speaking, but needed to know just one thing from Gengar.

"How are you—still—alive?"

Gengar gave the smallest, saddest smile possible, and said, "You can't kill a Ghost, Mewtwo. I live twice, but only die once. You, on the other hand…"

Mewtwo moved his hand, still lying ahead of him, towards the two of them with all the strength he could muster. Both took hold. Mewtwo's eyes burned not from pain, but from happiness. Tears leaked out of both eyes and ran down his cold face sticky with blood. He squeezed their hands as hard as possible (which was to say, not very hard) and they reciprocated with gentle pressure. For what seemed like an age, the three of them simply remained there, holding hands. Hope flooded Mewtwo to disperse everything else from earlier; knowing that he could give help to his friends and receive it in return, especially in a situation like this, was more than he could adequately express.

The sound of beating rotors crept through the air, gradually increasing in volume as the unseen helicopter approached. Silver heard this and turned around to check behind her in the sky. She looked Mewtwo in the eye and whispered, "You're going to be all right, Mewtwo. I promise."

She pressed her lips to the back of Mewtwo's hand and gave a kiss of exceeding gentleness before letting go. She stood up and turned around to greet the helicopter still high in the air, waving her arms to attract the pilot's attention. The snow around them and Silver's clothes billowed about, picking up in intensity the lower the helicopter got to the ground. Gently, the black helicopter, glinting in the sunlight, landed in a clear patch a number of feet away. Both pilot and co-pilot, dressed in flight suits colored with black and gray digital camouflage, ripped off their headsets and jumped out, grabbing a stretcher to take over to Mewtwo. They dashed over, bearing the stretcher between them.

"Take him to Ether Valley's Pokémon Center!" Silver shouted over the roar of the helicopter, "Make it quick, and don't let them know who you are! We'll meet him there as soon as possible!"

Both of them nodded. Silver and Gengar stepped back so that the two could do their job.

"Yosh," said a female voice that Mewtwo vaguely recognized, "we'll have to come back for the other. We don't have enough space for two Pokémon right now."

_Two _Pokémon? He wasn't the only one?

"Gotcha," said the man named Yosh. As gently as possible, they lifted Mewtwo onto the stretcher and raised him into the air. The instant they moved him, Mewtwo felt like he was on the deck of a swaying ship. He could barely gather his bearings the whole while. However, when they turned him around so that they could fit him in the back of the helicopter, Mewtwo caught a glimpse of something very odd.

Sandslash was laying in the snow, behind the massive blotch of red snow saturated with Mewtwo's blood. His hands covered his face and he was rolling around at intervals, apparently in significant pain. Silver and Gengar kneeled beside him, trying to comfort him. Mewtwo had no idea what to make of this, but before he could think about it anymore, the helicopter ascended over the tops of the trees.

The man named Yosh was piloting the helicopter. Though Mewtwo couldn't see him, he could tell it was him because it was his voice issuing from the pilot's seat. Now that the helicopter was not enclosed by trees, the sound of the engine and rotors dissipated through the air enough so that Mewtwo could hear him communicating through his headset:

"Vulture One to Center One-Nine, Vulture One to Center One-Nine. Come in, Center."

"This is Center One-Nine. Go on, Vulture."

"We have a HVI en route to your Pokémon Center by air. He's in need of immediate medical attention that we can't provide."

"What's his status?"

"Critical. A single gunshot wound to the stomach with a high caliber pistol round. Requesting clearance to land on the Pokémon Center's helipad for drop-off."

A pause.

"Vulture One, you have permission to land. What's your ETA?"

"Sixty seconds."

"Copy. First responders will meet you on the rooftop."

"Did you hear that, Mewtwo?" asked the female voice sitting in the back with him, "Ether Valley's Pokémon Center will take care of you."

Mewtwo moved his eyes as much as he could to look at the speaker. Upon seeing her face, he instantly remembered who she was.

"Yumi…" Mewtwo struggled to breathe, "Thank—you…"

His eyes fell shut so unwillingly. Mewtwo sank into a hurricane of shouting voices and intense pain, diving head first through the cyclone of swirling colors.


	21. True Colors

"Come on! Just a little bit further!"

"You know I'm no good at this kind of stuff! Last time you went, you were by yourself! You've gotten some practice before now, huh?"

"Oh come on, Gengar, it's easy. One little hop after the other, and you can get to the bottom. You're, like, thirty feet away."

"All right, all right, I'm coming!"

Gengar clung to the double climbing rope tied to his vest and stretching up and out of sight through the dark ravine. Mewtwo was standing on the rocky floor, wrapping up the super long rope and stowing it in his backpack. The cave they were occupying was already explored beforehand, so electronic lights placed at intervals inside the floor shone yellow light on the jagged rock faces of the walls.

"Just a little further…"

Gengar rappelled the thirty foot difference, landing safely beside Mewtwo.

"Not too hard, right?" asked Mewtwo with a smirk.

Gengar returned with a dirty but playful look, making Mewtwo chuckle. Gengar took a minute to put away his climbing rope and prepare himself.

"Ready?" asked Blastoise, who was waiting a little distance along the cave for the other two to finish. He wore a climbing vest like the others, but it was far more noticeable because of his size. It covered most of his underbelly in black rather than the pale yellow Mewtwo was used to seeing.

"Yup," said Mewtwo.

"Let's go then, shall we?" he asked, prompting the others by taking a few steps forward. They followed, and all three began walking through the cave, hearing their footsteps echo all around them.

"Thanks again for coming, Blastoise," said Mewtwo, "I'm glad you could help us out when we need it."

"No problem at all," said Blastoise with a smile, "Anything to repay you for taking care of Squirtle. How is he, by the way?"

"He's doing very well," said Mewtwo. "In fact, he's improving his move set with Timothy Bishop, a student at Cerulean University. They were working together just the other day."

"That's good," said Blastoise, "I'm glad he's learning to defend himself. It eases my mind that he'll be able to do that."

"Want to go see him after this?" asked Mewtwo, "He should be somewhere in Ether Valley…"

"I've been dying to see him," said Blastoise, "Haven't been able to in a month. But I must ask you something… where's Ether Valley?"

"About a hundred or so miles slightly east of north of Cerulean City," said Mewtwo, "It's a cool place, too. There's plenty to do and see. You'll have lots of fun once you're there."

"Yeah," said Blastoise as their passage opened up into a very large, cathedral-like clearing, "I wonder what I can do there once I get back together with my son. Any suggestions?"

"Well—"

"Wait!" interrupted Gengar, putting his hand out to catch Mewtwo in the stomach and make him stop, "What's that?"

He pointed ahead in the dimly lit, wide-open cave they just entered. On the other side, huddled against the wall, was some small, dark shape. It didn't draw either Mewtwo's or Blastoise's attention until Gengar pointed it out. From this far away, nobody could tell what it was, but Mewtwo had his sneaking suspicions.

"Is that—is that a _Pokémon?_" asked Blastoise disbelievingly, "I thought we were rescuing someone that got lost! We told them to stay still!"

"Hold on…" said Mewtwo slowly, "That isn't a person. Too small to be one, even a child."

He hesitated, then moved across the open floor space towards this mysterious black mass. Gengar and Blastoise followed rather cautiously. Even though they were getting closer to this shadowy thing, they couldn't see any more than they did on the other side of this huge cave.

Halfway across, Mewtwo unexpectedly stepped into something very wet. His foot hit the ground with a loud _slap_ that echoed as if he stepped in a puddle. As a matter of fact, it _was_ a puddle; the light in the cave reflecting off of the floor became distorted as ripples traveled away from Mewtwo's foot. Mewtwo, unprepared to step in this wet puddle, jumped back and almost knocked into the two behind him.

"What was that?" asked Blastoise, referencing both the wet _slap_ and Mewtwo's reaction, "What did you step in?"

"I don't know…"

Mewtwo cautiously approached the rim of this puddle and bent down. When he did, he could see the cave's dim reflection stretch out on the floor in front of him and shift as he moved his head.

"This is _massive!_" exclaimed Mewtwo, "It covers the whole other side of the cave!"

"Is it water?" asked Gengar uncertainly.

Mewtwo lowered a finger into the liquid and withdrew, watching the new ripples race out from where he touched. The liquid was not water; the sample he drew was lukewarm and viscous. He couldn't tell what color it was on his fingers, but the reflections told a different story. The longer he looked at the light's reflection, the redder they got.

"That's—that's blood, guys…" Mewtwo uttered, his voice quivering slightly.

"_Blood?"_ repeated Blastoise incredulously, "But this has to be gallons upon gallons!"

"I know," said Mewtwo fearfully, "and that's what scares me."

Something was holding Mewtwo back from traversing the rest of the distance. He knew someone was on the other side and might need their help, but this gigantic lake of blood was serving as some sort of barrier. His muscles felt like they were cast in concrete because he couldn't move. He didn't want to cross, but at the same time, he felt required to do so.

After far too much contemplation, Mewtwo broke through the locks holding him at bay and stepped back into the blood. The others followed, adding the _slap, slap, slap_ of their footsteps to Mewtwo's. The blood deepened ever so slightly the longer they walked, covering a few centimeters above the soles of their feet and transitioning from a slapping sound to sloshing the farther they progressed. The shadowy mass grew larger, still cloaked in black even though the lights should have relieved the shadow. Mewtwo's heart began to pump faster and he could feel his hands heating up. An odd tingling started in the pit of his stomach and began to spread throughout his torso.

Only when they were less than ten yards away from this figure, with their feet covered in warm, sticky blood, did they get to see it in full light.

"That's—THAT'S MY SON!" Blastoise screamed.

There was no denying it; the Squirtle lying face-up was instantly recognizable from the number of times Mewtwo has seen him and the shadowy crack running the length of his underbelly. A single, dark hole, like a bullet wound and right where his heart should have been, opened up his chest. His eyes were closed and his mouth was slightly agape. Squirtle was unmistakably, undeniably dead.

Blastoise collapsed to his knees beside Squirtle and scooped him up. He cradled him in his arms while Squirtle's body was completely limp. Blastoise doubled over, holding his son to his chest while tears of anguish flowed from his eyes to join the lake of blood he kneeled in.

"No… no… No! NO! NOOOOOOO!" he shrieked. Over and over again he screamed this word, causing a din inside the cave that made it ten times worse to listen to. Mewtwo's eyes burned white hot at the sight. He was supposed to be Squirtle's guardian… and he failed…

"Mewtwo," came a voice from Gengar's elbow. He turned at the noise and caught sight of Gengar looking hard into his eyes. The sight caught him off guard, given the fact that Blastoise was breaking down completely in front of them and Gengar decided to give his attention to Mewtwo instead.

"What?" Mewtwo asked in a broken voice.

"Wake up."

Mewtwo stared back, unsure of what Gengar said. Did he just tell him to _wake up?_ Perhaps he didn't hear him correctly.

"What did you say?" Mewtwo asked, much more firmly this time around.

"Wake up," Gengar repeated.

Mewtwo blinked, his mouth slightly open. Now he was starting to worry about what was going on.

"What do you mean, 'wake up?'" Mewtwo asked, a new quiver of fear filtering through his voice.

But before Gengar could open his mouth again, Mewtwo looked behind him at Blastoise holding his dead son, kneeling in blood spanning half the cave. The longer he observed, the less sense this whole scene made. Blastoise died nearly a month ago, absolutely nothing that lived underground could spill this much blood, and Mewtwo was certain that he saw Squirtle alive and well not more than an hour ago…

"Just do it," said Gengar.

The moment he said this, Blastoise's cries began to tune out like someone was turning a radial dial. At the same time, whispers filled the air like a gentle breeze inside the cave instead. Except now, the cave itself started to fade away. The sight was like trying to hold on to water cupped in his hands; the longer he stayed, the fainter everything became. Even Gengar was fading. Eventually, all Mewtwo could see was the burgundy of his eyes floating in the black. Mewtwo crouched, trying to see if Gengar's eyes would obey the normal laws of perspective. As Mewtwo's head lowered, Gengar's eyes raised at the same time so that Mewtwo now had to look up to see them. They were off-center slightly to where Mewtwo was looking. When Mewtwo tried to move his head to follow the eyes, he found he couldn't. In fact, he discovered he couldn't move at all. Somehow, he eased backwards as if he fell into a mattress, following Gengar's eyes by moving his own.

Except now, Gengar's eyes weren't the only ones floating about in the dark. At least six pairs made themselves visible either slightly left or right-of-center, all of them looking right at him.

Mewtwo blinked, and the blackness was not total anymore; rather, the darkest of shadowy objects became visible.

He blinked again. With each blink, everything grew brighter by an immeasurably small amount. In conjunction, a searing pain in his stomach grew stronger and stronger the more he blinked. But he pressed on, desperate to uncloak the scene.

After countless seconds, he discovered that he was in a familiar room with people and Pokémon all around where he was lying. The overhead light was too bright to clearly make out the others, so he had to let his eyes adjust. As soon as his pupils contracted to block out some of the light, he could distinguish those seated around him and tracking his eyes. From right to left were: Gengar, who was nearest; a slightly blueish Tobuscus with small and large bandages plastered to his body so much that he looked like a distorted checkerboard; Bryce with his hands covering his mouth and nose in fear; Steph and Glaceon with identically wide eyes; Tim with Squirtle sitting in his lap (thank _God_ he's alive); Alder and Alakazam, wearing faces of gravest concern; Silver, her exceedingly pale face standing out in sharp contrast with her scarlet hair; Allen, leaning on his walking stick and covering his face like Bryce; and on the left, directly beside him, was one of the last Pokémon he would ever expect at his side.

He looked directly into Mewtwo's eyes, one of which still had the shadow of a bruise present. The violet iris swallowed up the black as his pupils contracted to pinpricks. Mewtwo's eyebrows furrowed, casting deep, angular creases across his forehead. This stare of death sent a brief spasm of fear throughout Sandslash's body, but he kept calm.

"YOU!" Mewtwo shouted right in his face. He lifted his hand, curled into a fist, from the bed and threw it across his body towards Sandslash.

With more than twenty-five years of combat training under his belt, Sandslash could have laughed at this attempt, but chose not to. He raised his hand in plenty of time to catch Mewtwo's oncoming fist just as Mewtwo let out a screech. Everyone around them jumped, but Sandslash expected his cry of pain.

"Calm down, Mewtwo," said Sandslash gently, still holding on to his clenched fist as Mewtwo put a hand to his stomach, "Don't hurt yourself any more than you are right now. Be reasonable, won't you?"

"Reason be damned if I can kill you, little scumbag," spat Mewtwo viciously. He tried to wrench his hand from Sandslash's grasp, but howled in pain again. Sandslash let Mewtwo's hand fall to his torso wrapped almost entirely in white bandages.

Sandslash was completely unfazed by Mewtwo's aggression. In retrospect, he's seen far worse, far more disturbing events before now. This little outburst would never scratch his surface hardened like steel. He felt not a muscle in his body twitch.

"What good is killing me going to do for you?" asked Sandslash calmly over Mewtwo's renewed groans, "Other than satisfy not even a fraction of your thirst for revenge?"

Mewtwo looked up again with murder still in his eyes.

"If the only way I can get my revenge is by fractions, then so be it."

Sandslash sighed. Emotional control was never one of Mewtwo's strong suits. He might be the most powerful Pokémon on Earth, but his talents heavily relied on his proper functioning. And unfortunately, now was not one of those times.

"Listen to yourself, won't you?" asked Sandslash, "You don't want to kill any more than you've already done. Don't be an idiot and ruin your plan for greatness, Mewtwo."

"Oh, right," snarled Mewtwo, "and I bet you're going to offer me a place in Team Rocket like Giovanni did at Cinnabar. To fulfil my plan for _greatness,_ right?"

Sandslash stared Mewtwo full in the face for ten seconds before he reached for underneath his chair. His hand closed around the neck of a vest made of black, synthetic Kevlar, and he raised it to shoulder height. On the front, in the left chest area, were the frays of threads. The large, red letter 'R' was clearly missing.

Sandslash saw Mewtwo's eyes widen at the missing patch as he said, "Take a look for yourself. I tore up and trashed the patch as soon as I could. Nothing… _nothing…_ brought me more shame in one moment than that letter 'R' did. It took me far too much time to see all the wrong that I was doing since I left Britain and the SAS. 'Who Dares Wins' was our motto back then, and Giovanni screwed it out of context for all of us."

Sandslash lowered the vest into his lap. He did not take his cold, black eyes, dead long ago to compassion and sympathy, off of Mewtwo's.

"He manipulated us all, just like Gengar said in the forest. The Diamond squad was nothing more than a mean to reach his ends, one of which was trying to acquire you back in 1997. Remember his offers and how tempting they were? Remember—actually, I don't blame you for joining, considering that prison they called a Mansion. But I digress…

"Giovanni wanted you badly. You know how much of a collector he is; just look at his Pokémon. You would be the icing on the cake for his assembly of the world's best fighters. He thought that, with you under his command, he would have a chance to clinch Kanto—maybe even all of Japan—for himself. He planned to merge with Silph as a partner and use the company's assets to aid his takeover. Not like he needed the money, anyway…" Sandslash added bitterly, "Rather, he was looking into their technology and its possible implications. More specifically, technology that would strengthen his already very powerful Pokémon. You know what I'm talking about, right?"

Mewtwo, whose face looked like someone just swung a heavy weight into it, swallowed and nodded.

"But Giovanni realized a snag when you joined our team," Sandslash continued, "He observed how much you rebelled against strict control by your creators at the Pokémon Mansion. He gave you the Captaincy, hoping that he could hold on to you longer by placing you in a position of power, not subordinance. Even then, he was working on borrowed time to execute his plans. He felt that, one day, you would slip from his grasp and fight against his hold on you. And he was right.

"But when you slipped through his fingers, you practically fell off the face of the Earth. You remember that summer day as well as I do, yeah? He took me along (I mean, I'm not sure why; I certainly wasn't the best of the squad) and his Persian as a little bit of backup. He thought that, with a little 'persuasion,' you'd come back. He felt that the warrant for your arrest might scare you back—what, you don't know about that?" asked Sandslash when Mewtwo gave an extremely confused look. "Giovanni issued a nationwide arrest warrant on the fourth of August, 1998, and retracted it on the ninth of September that year, the day after we met you on the trail that runs through the hills right outside this village. He thought you accidentally killed yourself trying to defend yourself with that explosion… or burst of energy, or whatever it was. All three of us there were convinced that you died, actually. I won't lie when I say that that was the last time I thought I'd ever see you; a former squadmate gone AWOL and whom I was forced to attack.

"Fifteen years later, you're back as a completely changed individual. You're furthering the very same project Giovanni started back then, and it's progressed beyond his wildest dreams. You have great friends behind your back every step of the way," he said with a gesture of his clawed hands, motioning to everyone surrounding his bed, "ready to help when you need it. You're starting to undo your past, Mewtwo. Though you spent the least time in the Squad, you've probably done the most damage. It's not easy to bounce back from something like that. And me? I spent eighteen years with a man whom I thought would help bestow glory upon us. I forgot all about the proper ethics I learned in the SAS; protecting the public from threats of terror and malintent. And here I was, swept away to a foreign country and ensnared in an organization whose goals I worked my entire career to fight against. I've killed more, much more than I want to admit. I shot dead Gengar's father without a second thought about what I was doing. I watched Yveltal kill Blastoise, who was weakened by that accursed creature's life-stealing nature. I stomped in his son's shell and dumped him in a back alley, hoping that he would die myself—"

Something stuck in Sandslash's throat to interrupt the monologue. His Adam's Apple felt like it was double in size, obstructing his air passage. For a brief moment, he choked on his own emotion and felt his heart's pace increase. He couldn't remember the last time he felt such overwhelming sadness and remorse. He took a sharp intake of breath to try and force past this barrier and press on to the goal he really wanted to reach.

"The point is," he resumed a little weakly, "when I saw Gengar rightfully accuse Giovanni of manipulating and killing innocent people and Pokémon, then getting a bullet in his head for the truths, that moment lifted the shroud of lies and deceit I've been blinded by. All of my mistakes came to light in that instant. I felt like someone tore out my heart, blackened by the baseless deaths I brought or helped bring unto others, and replaced it with the one I had more than twenty years ago. I'm sure that if the others saw what happened to Gengar, they would be feeling something similar to what I did, but they were unconscious…

"But how did I end up here, you may be wondering? After I—er… attacked you guys…" Sandslash muttered, hearing the weighty guilt in his voice, "Um… I didn't want to do it… I mean, at the time, maybe I did…"

His eyes dropped to his claws in his lap, face burning with shame and licking his insides like flames. He felt every single eye watching him and heightening his discomfort. He tried to keep speaking, but sensed his forgotten emotions begin to return for the first time in a long time.

"I don't mean—you know what, never mind," he said awkwardly as he addressed the floor, "Get back on topic," he said under his breath to himself. "Sorry… What I'm trying to say is this; I was standing behind you when Gengar ran forward and got shot by Giovanni. That you're aware of, I believe. But I'm not sure if you know what happened next when you charged him yourself."

Mewtwo shook his head when Sandslash looked up. The latter noticed a significant change in the former's face; it was relaxed, almost expressionless. Compared to earlier, this was a welcome change.

"Here's what happened... Giovanni shot you in the stomach because he didn't want you dead, although he could care less for Gengar. I think he forgot I was still behind you and very much in the bullet's path. He shot you, the bullet broke apart like it should, came out your back, and peppered me in the face. Luckily, the shrapnel didn't do nearly as much damage as it could have, considering it already traveled through flesh and blood to get to me, but it still hurt like hell. I felt like I got pepper-sprayed because it hurt so much and I couldn't see. I fell and just stayed on the ground, hoping that Giovanni would see me, but he blatantly ignored me. Someone asked him, 'Is he dead, Giovanni? But what about Sandslash? You can't just leave him, can you?' and he said, 'If Sandslash can't handle helping out on missions like this, then he's not fit for my team.' The false SOS Silver sent to distract them all worked so well, he left me at the scene of a murder and forgot to check where his own daughter disappeared to. Little did I know at the time that Silver was there to help, not harm. They airlifted you to this Pokémon Center first because you were in worse condition while Silver and Gengar stayed behind to look after me. After a couple minutes, Yumi and Yosh came back and did the same for me. I got fixed up once they removed the shrapnel, although my age didn't do me any favors for healing time, I tell you. I'm not nearly as fit as I once was; maybe you noticed back in the forest."

Mewtwo's eyes narrowed, apparently studying Sandslash's face. Thankfully, Mewtwo's pupils had since returned to their normal size, making Sandslash feel much less threatened. A moment passed until Mewtwo asked, "Really? You look fine to me right now…"

"Well," said Sandslash, "it wasn't too much longer than it should have taken, but it was still a good amount of time."

Now a look of worry passed Mewtwo's face. His eyes returned to their normal shape, and his brows turned just a touch to exemplify this concern.

"How long was I unconscious?" he asked, a definite note of anxiety present.

Sandslash glanced around to the others without moving his head, taking in the expressions that reflected almost precisely what he was feeling. Mewtwo was asleep, and had no clue…

"Erm…" Sandslash began, "like—I dunno… maybe… five days or something…"

"FIVE DAYS?" Mewtwo ejaculated loudly, "What—how—?"

"They had to keep you asleep for a long time to perform surgeries on you," said Sandslash, cutting across Mewtwo's blubbering. "I think you've had at least—and I'm not exaggerating—at least a dozen or so by my count. It's been a lot of work for them to patch you up since Sunday, Mewtwo… They need to reconstruct pretty much everything below your diaphragm, plus touch up on the lowest part of your spinal cord that was clipped by a piece of shrapnel. Most of the work they've completed already, but they can't begin the spinal cord one until they're satisfied with almost everything else. Honestly, you've spent more time under the knife than not."

"You don't say…" mumbled Mewtwo, "That's—oh, dear…"

A long silence followed as everyone watched Mewtwo's face quickly steal over with shock.

"I just remembered… but I haven't gotten to tell anyone…"

"What?" asked Silver, the first one to speak from the other eleven in the room, "What is it?"

Mewtwo twisted and wrung his hands in obvious agitation.

"When Giovanni—after he shot me, he said something that only I could hear…" he said nervously as a dull flush crept up his face, "He said… he said that… he told me…"

Clearly, whatever Mewtwo was going to say, it wasn't good if it was causing him this much trouble to string more than three words together. Mewtwo gritted his teeth like he was going to tear off a particularly sticky Band-Aid and spat it out as quickly and clearly as possible:

"Giovanni's going to kill all of you if I don't give myself up to Team Rocket by the New Year."

The reaction was predictable; nearly everyone gasped or gave some form of surprise when these words fell unto the ears in the room. Sandslash was the only one that gave no clear reaction. He felt his brow furrow slightly, but not significantly. He sensed a faint heat sneak up his neck, but not enough to discomfort him. Honestly, this wasn't the first time he's had his life threatened, and certainly wasn't going to be the last.

"You're—you're serious?" stuttered Silver, "But—he _can't!_ Why would he _do_ something like—?"

"I'm afraid your father is not the man he used to be, Silver," grumbled Sandslash, not meeting her eyes. "He won't let anybody—or anything—get in his way to the top. I'm a prime example of that. And I think he's found out what you did to get Mewtwo to safety since Sunday as well."

"I—I know that! It's just..."

Silver's eyes glistened at her own words. She covered her mouth with her fingers, looking at Sandslash with a devastated gaze.

"I don't think Giovanni will let his own daughter stand in his path to domination," Sandslash added darkly.

Silver drew a tremulous breath, her whole body positively shaking from fear, and whispered, "You mean…? He'll—he'll kill me?"

Sandslash nodded.

"I didn't…" Silver started, tears welling up in her eyes, "I didn't know—that my father would—would do—such a—such an inhumane thing… I… I…"

And within the second, she completely lost it. Silver doubled over, hands in her face, sobbing uncontrollably. Everyone glanced around, including Sandslash, totally unawares as to what could be done. Even Sandslash felt distant pangs of pity in his stomach. It wasn't her fault, not at all…

For several seconds, Silver sat in her chair and wept in her hands, watched on uncertainly by the others. Every single one of them looked like they wanted to do something… anything… but shock rooted them to their chair.

And then, with the action carrying enough surprise to uproot everyone, Allen shifted in his chair to face Silver and wrapped both arms around her shoulders. Silver buried her face in his shoulder, crying even harder and reciprocating with a hug of her own.

"There, there," Allen mumbled gently, "Just let it out… that's it… Don't worry, I—we won't let anything happen to you."

"All this time…" Silver choked, "I followed his orders hoping that it would bring us closer to normalcy… No matter how horrid—I thought it would eventually stop…" She clutched onto Allen's shirt, her hands trembling as she spoke.

"It will stop."

Sandslash, whose eyes were fixated on the two beside him, jumped. Everyone looked around (Silver through increasingly red eyes) to who spoke.

Mewtwo was sitting upright in his bed, staring extremely hard into Silver's eyes.

"I'll stop it myself. I'll stop up the source that's done it all. I'll ensure that son-of-a-bitch gets what he deserves."

Sandslash felt his eyes narrow slightly at this display of boldness.

"Dunno if you've noticed, Mewtwo," muttered Sandslash, "but you're sort of incapacitated right now. Not to mention you have to go through something called 'recovery' before you can even think about going at it again..."

Mewtwo reciprocated the comment with an ugly look.

"I don't care," he spat, "I'm not going to let anything happen to anyone inside or outside of this room. No more victims, because I won't allow it."

Sandslash raised both of his claws to his face and hung his head with a deep sigh.

"Mewtwo," Sandslash began, "I think you're missing the point here. You almost _died_ because you were too proud to leave the forest. You're lucky Gengar can't die, because he certainly would have if he was mortal."

"Too _proud?_" Mewtwo retorted in disbelief, "Gengar and I agreed to stay behind! I didn't force him into it! He wanted to confront Giovanni as much as I—"

"That's not what I'm getting at," interrupted Sandslash, forcing Mewtwo into silence. "I don't care how powerful you are. I don't care if you _are_ the most powerful Pokémon. You can't try and take on Giovanni without help. Ah!" Sandslash exclaimed, throwing up a claw to silence Mewtwo again because the latter just opened his mouth angrily to say something, "I know what you're thinking; 'I had Gengar on my side.' Right?"

Mewtwo dropped his gaze.

"Yes," he muttered.

"Listen to me when I say this," said Sandslash. "You fought Giovanni on a very level physical playing ground, if not a touch in your favor, back in the forest. Surprise was on your side because we didn't know Gengar was with you. Your armor had a significant hand in beating the entire Diamond Squad. I don't doubt your considerable skill, Mewtwo, nor does anybody else from the Squad, I gamble. You may have won the battle against Giovanni, but he is far from flying the white flag in surrender. You told us that he's prepared to kill all of us if you don't re-join Team Rocket by the end of the year, right?"

A general shiver traveled around the group. Mewtwo nodded, still not meeting Sandslash's eyes.

"I can tell you right now that Giovanni is not one to back down on his promises," Sandslash continued. "If you wait, or hide, or try to avoid him in any other way, he _will_ track us down and follow up on his promise."

Mewtwo moved not a muscle. Not even his eyes shifted. It seemed like he momentarily turned to stone. Sandslash could almost hear the gears working in Mewtwo's brain as the latter thought and turned over these last words.

"You say I can't take on Giovanni by myself," Mewtwo muttered, "yet you urge me to avoid waiting for him to come to me. What are you trying to say?"

"Exactly that," said Sandslash. "Don't take on Giovanni by yourself, but don't wait for him either. Go for him with strength to match his own. Back yourself with anyone that wants to help destroy Team Rocket once and for all. I'll tell you this right now; I'd be delighted to put Giovanni's entire life's works into the ground and pay him back for eighteen years I'll never be able to get back."

"You and a million others…" Mewtwo murmured.

"And I'll say something else, too…" Sandslash added, "Speaking as someone that _has_ spent so much time with Team Rocket, I can tell you some things about Giovanni's organization I bet you never knew about."

"Yeah?" Mewtwo asked skeptically, "Like what?"

Sandslash felt the corner of his mouth lift into a smirk.

"_Anything_ you'd ever want to hear. I know the base, along with nearly everyone inside its walls, like the back of my hand. I know Giovanni's and the Diamond Squad's personalities, habits, strengths, faults, the whole nine yards. I've memorized the guard shifts and patrol routes. When you spend eighteen years with many of the same people and Pokémon as a more privileged member of Team Rocket, you tend to pick up more than your fair share of knowledge. I suppose Giovanni didn't consider _that_ when he abandoned me with you two, eh?" Sandslash asked, chuckling lightly at his own remark.

"Now that you're talking about it again," mumbled Gengar nervously, "I do recall a bit about Team Rocket's base. I bet I could… y'know… help out if you needed it. Sneak around and—like… yeah."

Gengar's eyes shifted apprehensively from Sandslash, to Mewtwo, and back again. He fiddled with his own hands unconsciously, waiting for some sort of reaction. Sandslash nodded slowly, gazing thoughtfully at Gengar.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," began Sandslash, "but I believe you can turn invisible?"

"In a sense," said Gengar. "I can become part of the shadows, practically rendering me invisible to the naked eye. Only in the shadows, though."

Sandslash nodded, still holding his thoughtful gaze.

"Hmm… interesting… where were you in the forest that we couldn't see you?"

"In one of the larger evergreens. There was a gap in the branches that let me see all the action without being seen."

"Really?" asked Sandslash interestedly. "That's something…"

"I don't mean to interrupt," said Mewtwo with every intention of interrupting, "but what in God's name are you two on about?"

Sandslash felt like he got snapped out of a daze as he turned to Mewtwo.

"My mistake, Mewtwo. I was just thinking about how we could get into Team Rocket's base," said Sandslash in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Get into—_what?"_ spluttered Mewtwo.

Sandslash quickly glanced towards Gengar to make sure he did not misinterpret his eyes. They were no longer nervous, but set. The message was clear and reflected what Sandslash just said. Without a word, both were in agreeance.

"Mewtwo," Sandslash said slowly and clearly, "we want to help you take down Giovanni once and for all. Or at least, Gengar and I do. I can't speak for the rest of the group."

Mewtwo's mouth fell open.

"Are you out of you _mind?_" he asked weakly.

"No," said Sandslash promptly. "Gengar and I want to help. All three of us got the real taste of what Giovanni is capable of. I don't want anyone else to experience that for as long as I live."

"Absolutely not," said Mewtwo, instantly regaining proper speech and adding a bite to it, "No, I won't allow you two to do this. There's all too good of a chance something will happen to anybody here, and I'll be to blame. I'm doing this myself."

"Must I remind you of the damage you sustained, even with a helping hand?" asked Sandslash impatiently, "You're going to get _killed_ if you try and undermine his regime singlehandedly. You need as much help as possible to carry out this task, especially if it's to be done by the year's close. You can't do this by yourself, Mewtwo."

"He's right, Mewtwo," spoke up the Blaziken for the first time. "It sounds like Sandslash knows exactly what he's talking about. You need his and Gengar's brains—along with more than a bit of brawn—to topple Giovanni." He glanced around nervously before adding, "I want to help out as well. Count me in."

For the briefest second, the Blaziken's trainer took a small intake of breath and clenched his jaw, like he wanted to say something but was struggling for the right words to voice it. He pushed his thick glasses farther up his nose to hide this moment.

A small motion in the corner of Sandslash's eye caught his attention. Glaceon, sitting in Steph's lap, looked up at her trainer with meaningful eyes while tapping her leg to get her attention. Steph glanced down, and in a jiffy, looked back up to address Mewtwo.

"Glaceon wants to offer her best effort towards your cause, Mewtwo, as do I," she said with an exceedingly serious expression—something very different from what she displayed towards Sandslash during his time in recovery. "We want to help."

Mewtwo opened his mouth to say something, most likely to deter her statement, when a high, raspy voice added, "Me too."

Everyone looked around in unison to Squirtle sitting in Tim's lap. Eyes wide with surprise flashed simultaneously at Squirtle, causing a dull flush to build up his face. Mewtwo seemed absolutely stunned to hear these words issue from Squirtle's mouth and was struck dumb for several seconds.

"You're talking crazy," said Mewtwo scornfully. "I'm not going to let you cross danger's path again, especially because you're not very skilled."

Squirtle's jaw clenched just like Bryce's did, but this time, it was in obvious anger.

"Giovanni ordered my father dead," retorted Squirtle hotly. "He's not going to get away with any more murder if we can stop him. I want to see him pay, Mewtwo."

He spoke with such unquestionable passion that Sandslash admired this youngster's bravery, but Mewtwo was quick to answer.

"I'm your guardian, Squirtle. My job is to protect you. I'm not allowing this. Plus, I don't think you're that great at battling either."

Tim, silent thus far, interjected with a raise of his brow, "I dunno Mewtwo… Squirtle's grown a lot since he started studying and practicing with me. I wouldn't doubt his abilities."

"Whose side are you on?" Mewtwo burst out, gesturing angrily towards Tim. "We haven't even agreed to go after Giovanni yet! You guys are jumping the gun before we can do anything to prepare!"

"Debatable," spoke up Allen. "There's…" he paused, counting heads for a second before saying, "There's a lot twelve of us can do in a little over two weeks to prepare for this. We can gather more recruits if possible, fix up your armor, practice using the Mega Ring… you get the gist."

Mewtwo's expression was quickly deflating from defeat. Sandslash reached forward and took hold of his shoulder, giving gentle pressure.

"Trust me when I say this, Mewtwo," Sandslash said quietly, "If any of us weren't prepared to battle alongside you, none of us would be offering help. We want to see Giovanni done and dusted as much as you do, so there's no reason to refuse our help and fly solo."

Everyone, including those that didn't speak yet, nodded. Seeing this, Mewtwo let his head fall resignedly and sighed a deep breath.

"All right."

Sandslash gave Mewtwo's shoulder a little shake and felt a tiny smile play on his own face. Mewtwo looked up at Sandslash's motion that caused him to sway slightly and gazed into his eyes. He caught the smile and returned a small one of his own. Finally, these two former Diamond Squad members were fighting for the same cause again.

But this time, they knew what they were doing was unquestionably and undeniably right.


	22. The Setup

The recovery process progressed much faster than anticipated, but still felt incredibly slow to Mewtwo, most likely due to the fact that he was confined to his bed around the clock for several days. Talking about the newfound plan with the others made it worse; every time it came up in conversation (which meant constantly), Mewtwo felt antsy and wanted to do something directly in response. But, on Nurse Joy's orders, he obeyed her strong recommendation to not get overly-excited. He still needed to get surgery done on his spinal cord to allow movement in his legs.

Within the hour after agreeing on the plan, actual preparation began to commence. Though Mewtwo couldn't do anything himself, he listened in on the conversations and offered his own input. The first thing they talked about?

"My suit," started Mewtwo disappointedly, "it's ruined. What happened?"

Tim and Bryce sat at Mewtwo's bedside. Tim had notebook in hand, flipping through pages upon pages of diagrams, notes, descriptions, and everything else that pertained to the suit in question. Bryce scratched his head embarrassedly, apparently ashamed at letting something he helped build fail to do its job.

"Erm…" he mumbled, "I'm not entirely sure. If I had to guess, I would say that, after Sandslash severed your helmet's connection to the rest of the suit and you took off your helmet, the shields couldn't do their job. Your armor is strong and very light, but it's brittle. In all honesty, we never planned for a bullet to test its strength. We expected you to take heat from Pokémon, not firearms."

"Can you get it fixed up?" asked Mewtwo.

"Yes," said Tim, "but it won't be easy. We'll have to replace all of the fried circuitry and fill the holes in the chestplate. I guess we should consider wires that don't overheat as easily, too."

Mewtwo's face fell and he hung his head.

"Sorry," Mewtwo said ashamedly, "I shouldn't have let Giovanni get in my head like that. That's my fault for losing my mind and making stupid moves."

"I don't blame you," said Tim quickly. "If Giovanni was making jabs at me like that, I would've lost it, too."

Tim and Bryce promised to get Mewtwo's suit repaired as soon as possible. That evening, they traveled to Cerulean University to start the trial of recovering Mewtwo's suit back to its full potential.

While they did that, the six Pokémon (Glaceon being present more for the purpose of getting accustomed to them) temporarily replaced their trainers around Mewtwo's bedside. Their human counterparts absent, the Pokémons' conversations took on a different kind of form and understanding amongst themselves.

"How do you guys _really_ feel about all of this?" asked Mewtwo.

A fragile silence hovered around them for some time. Nobody seemed to know precisely how to respond, and so, fell into deep thought at the question.

"Well…" started off Tobuscus uncertainly after a while, "I know that I really want to help out in any way possible, and I'll see to that the best I can. But, I'm not sure if Bryce is as willing. I know he's not one to get directly involved in the action and get his hands dirty; he likes them clean, you see… He tends to take a step back and just—you know, kind of watch from afar. Unless," Tobuscus said, practically interrupting himself, "unless he's dealing with something he knows very well... like your suit, Mewtwo. He'll be running the charge with that project. Anyways, that was a bad tangent, I know. I want to help out in any possible way, and Bryce is already doing the best he can."

The atmosphere softened, and Gengar added on, "Me too. Tell me what I can help with, and I'll give it my all. Giovanni doesn't deserve his power, nor did he ever. I've always wanted to see that monster pay…"

"Too true," supplemented Sandslash solemnly. "Nearly all of us here know exactly what Giovanni's wrath is like. Nobody else should have to experience that. Too many people fell to his hand. And mine…"

Gengar clapped the speaker on his shoulder. They looked between each other, and sympathy seemed to radiate from Gengar.

"We're all in the same boat, Sandslash," said Gengar consolingly. "There's no need to bag on yourself."

Sandslash nodded rather unconfidently.

"Yeah, Sandslash," Squirtle piped up. "Don't get down on yourself. We can all beat Team Rocket if we work together as our own team, right?"

Sandslash nodded again, this time with marginally more vigor.

"You're right," said Sandslash strongly. "We need to keep in mind how important this is to keep us on track, yeah?"

Everyone nodded in agreeance.

_If I may interrupt,_ came a voice that Mewtwo didn't immediately recognize, but a moment's thought reminded him that the voice belonged to Alakazam, _this plan is undoubtedly going to be of utmost importance. I suggest formulating some sort of outline sooner than later, and sharing it with our trainers._

A pause stopped the group in its tracks. Alakazam brought up a good point; they needed an outline of some sorts to tell the others. The trouble was, they all got so excited over this plan that nobody really stopped to consider an actual approach.

"That's—that's—a really good point…" Mewtwo finished lamely. "I didn't even think—aww…"

_No matter,_ Alakazam intervened, _we can start right now. If we're going to take the fight to Giovanni, we'll need all the help we can get. In my opinion, that entails knowing Team Rocket's base like the back of your hands, gathering as much firepower as possible, and being prepared for anything Giovanni will throw at us._

"You're right," said Gengar. "In fact, you've given me an idea…"

"What?" asked Mewtwo, eager to get the ball rolling.

"Sandslash and I—regrettable as it is—spent the longest time in Team Rocket, right?" asked Gengar, glancing to Sandslash for confirmation. Sandslash gave it, and Gengar continued, "So why don't we try and draw up their base to show you guys what it looks like?"

Sandslash wore a puzzled expression.

"I hope you don't mean actually walking _into_ the base?" asked Sandslash. "Because if we do, our welcome will be a little less than warm, don't you think?"

"I already thought of that," said Gengar confidently. "I do mean to walk into the base, but not like you're thinking. Instead of doing it in an obvious manner like that and surely get caught, we can do it _discretely."_

"Discretely?" Sandslash asked, "How do you walk in to a base so well-guarded like Team Rocket's without anyone noticing?"

Gengar smirked.

"Easy," he said. "I can blend into the shadows of the night and within the base's walls while giving you the same ability."

Sandslash raised his eyebrows, clearly impressed.

"_That's_ cool," said Sandslash.

"Yeah," said Gengar, "I just found out about it last week. I tried it with Allen and it worked flawlessly."

"So we can spend as much time as we want there," said Sandslash, seemingly thinking to himself, "make up some maps and whatnot and…?"

"Precisely," said Gengar, nodding. "You like the idea?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Sandslash. "I think it's a brilliant idea!"

Everyone else affirmed with nods all around.

"Now, Alakazam," said Mewtwo after a slight pause, "I remember you mentioning gathering more people that will help our cause. Who would be likely to join us, in your opinion? Should we put out a call for help?"

He looked to Alakazam, but felt his heart sink the moment his eyes fell to the floor, downcast.

_An unwise decision, I'd say,_ said Alakazam solemnly, _Letting the public know your plans would be like walking up to Giovanni and telling him yourself. Your selection is limited in this situation._

Mewtwo bit his lip. He hated to hear the truth, but Alakazam was right. How could he get around this obstacle?

"Ahh…" he groaned disappointedly, "That sucks."

"Can we find a way around that?" asked Gengar.

Mewtwo's posture slouched as he fell into thought. He tapped his chin with a finger, thinking.

"I don't know…" Mewtwo mumbled slowly. "Who do we know outside of our group that would want to help?"

Everyone fell into thought like Mewtwo at the question. The gears worked hard in everyone's brains as thinking muted their sensitivity to sounds in the room. For a while, nobody spoke.

Suddenly, Gengar sat up a little straighter, lifting his eyes and looking around as if a fly buzzing about just caught his attention.

"What about those three Pokémon we met a long time ago?" Gengar asked, causing everyone else to look up as well, "The—uhh… the rogue Pokémon?"

"What about them?" asked Mewtwo's his eyes narrowing a bit.

"Well, didn't Nidoking give us his cell phone number?"

Mewtwo stared right at Gengar for several seconds, drawing a blank.

"Did he?" asked Mewtwo suspiciously, "I don't seem to recall…"

Mewtwo allowed his mind to travel back in time and replay their meeting with these rogues, trying to go through the events chronologically. The battle happened, followed by Gengar's disappearance with his mirage of Allen; he, Alder, and Alakazam took the unconscious to the Pokémon Center to rest—they did that while Mewtwo and them recovered Allen and Gengar; then, they fixed up the square and had lunch—that was the day Nidoking, Seviper, and Weezing got discharged…

He ran the farewell back again in his head, trying to imagine it while staring unseeingly at a spot on the floor. Evening arrived when they left the Pokémon Center, that much he could clearly remember. Mewtwo knew Nidoking mentioned they were travelers, he recalled that too. The last thing he remembered about their goodbye, however, was their wish that they'd all meet again. Why couldn't he remember Nidoking providing a phone number?

"He gave you a slip of paper, Mewtwo," Gengar spoke up after several moments of silence, "and you handed it to me. Something about the way you transferred it made me feel that you didn't really want it, but I hung on to it anyway."

With these words, the memory burst in as abruptly as a gate crasher at a party.

"_Oh yeah!"_ Mewtwo exclaimed. "I remember now! Yeah, yeah, I'm with you now, Gengar."

"The problem is," Gengar added half-heartedly, "this happened so long ago that I can't remember where I put the paper that had his phone number."

The smile faded from Mewtwo's face rather quickly, but in contrast, Mewtwo noticed the beginnings of one curl upon Alakazam's lips.

_I have just the solution,_ Alakazam said easily.

"You do?" asked Gengar eagerly. "What is it?"

_I can aid your memory for just a moment, enough to help you remember where you misplaced Nidoking's telephone number,_ he said. _If I may have one of your hands…?_

Gengar stuck one out obediently. Alakazam grasped it with both of his own and said with the air of a therapist speaking to his patient, _Relax your body. Don't be alarmed if you feel a warmth or chill; it's perfectly normal._

Gengar nodded and closed his eyes. Mewtwo could see his shoulders slouch slightly as Gengar expelled the tension in his muscles. Alakazam bowed forward, nearly allowing his forehead to touch their hands suspended in the air. A moment of silence blanketed the group.

Gengar took a sharp, deep breath. His back straightened, causing him to sit bolt-upright as his eyes flew open. The closest thing Mewtwo could equate to this action was cold water being dumped over his head. It seemed like Gengar just experienced some sort of revelation.

"I know where it is!" Gengar burst out excitedly. "I need to go see Allen, though!"

Gengar dashed out of the room in a heartbeat, leaving the others to do little more than look at each other bemusedly.

"I'm guessing it worked, then?" asked Sandslash. Alakazam nodded.

_Incidentally, I'm able to receive a temporary flash of his memory,_ said Alakazam, _and I saw precisely where he left the note with Nidoking's telephone number. I can also experience the emotion they felt in that particular time. With Gengar, he felt a shade of disappointment at their departure when he put away that number. So yes, it worked,_ he added with a smirk.

"That's really something…" Sandslash commented. "What else can you do like that, just by tapping into other people's brains?"

_All sorts of stuff,_ said Alakazam. _Retrieving memories is actually something relatively basic. Something more complex, like giving or transferring knowledge, can be difficult for other Psychic Pokémon; but, because I'm well-practiced, even some of the most challenging tasks are manageable._

"Wait a second," interrupted Mewtwo, "When you say, 'transfer knowledge,' what exactly do you mean by that?"

_Anything that the provider chooses, really,_ mused Alakazam. _A memory, information, the secrets to the universe…_

"You've just given me an idea," said Mewtwo. "What if—and bear with me here—instead of physically sending Gengar and Sandslash into Team Rocket's base, they can give their knowings of the base to everyone in our group? With your help, of course."

Sandslash rubbed his chin in thought while Alakazam chewed on the inside of his cheek. Mewtwo saw Tobuscus raise an eyebrow as well, apparently in approval.

"Hmm…" issued the hum from Sandslash, "That's a really solid idea there, mate. It holds its merit, too, because we can let you guys know exactly what the base looks like. But there's only one thing wrong, however much I like your theory; we don't exactly know the traffic patterns of the people and Pokémon inside. I doubt much has changed, but we can't rely solely on old information. Things may have changed already, considering our—encounter. Y'know what I mean?"

A pause followed.

"You're right," conceded Mewtwo. "Although, it's not nearly as dangerous when you can draw up the maps right here. Everyone will know what you're talking about because we can envision the base in our own heads, right?"

Alakazam politely intervened with an affirmative nod.

_Absolutely correct,_ he said. _Would you like to try it now?_

"Yes," said Mewtwo.

_Okay. Because Gengar is away for now, I'll ask for both yours and Sandslash's hand._

Alakazam held out one hand to each of the addressed. Mewtwo's lanky arms allowed him to take hold of the proffered hand without moving at all. Sandslash scooched his chair closer to more comfortably grasp Alakazam's hand.

_Just like I told Gengar before, relax yourself before I transfer the knowledge. It will probably feel like a low-voltage current or something is passing through you. Don't be alarmed when you feel this or the like, and keep hold so that the connection is not interrupted. Understand?_

Mewtwo and Sandslash said "Yes" simultaneously.

_Okay, _Alakazam continued, _Sandslash, you need to concentrate on Team Rocket's base and everything you know about it. Mewtwo, be ready for that current I told you about._

They obeyed. Alakazam bowed his head again and took a deep breath, the others mirroring his action. Mewtwo tried his hardest to untense his muscles and let calmness wash over instead.

An odd heat grew in the palm of his hand, right where Alakazam's skin contacted his own. It grew pleasantly warm, but the sensation was short-lived. Just like Alakazam said, Mewtwo felt his arm convulse as the electric current passed through the muscles in his arm and traveled straight into his brain. In the seconds that it lasted, strange visions filled his mind's eye, constituting of a building being constructed from the ground-up like being drawn by an artist's hand. Not only that occurred, but Mewtwo could see the passages, rooms, the employees, the Pokémon, and every little detail about this building and its occupants fill into this new space in his memory.

When the current slowed and finally stopped, Mewtwo could feel his heart pounding with renewed pace. Previously, only shady forms floated to his mind when he thought of Team Rocket's base, and he wouldn't be able to tell the front entrance from the back entrance. Now, the exact layout of the building replaced his previous memories, supplemented with details he didn't even think could be held by one individual. Not only did Mewtwo feel like he could draft a perfect blueprint of the base, but also draft a brief profile of most of the building's occupants.

"Holy smokes…" Mewtwo breathed, "This—this is unbelievable!"

"Quick!" Sandslash shot at Mewtwo while both let go of Alakazam's hand, "Why does Giovanni keep the armory locked at all times?"

"He doesn't," Mewtwo fired back almost as rapidly, "He just tells everyone it's locked and keeps the spare keys on him. The others don't bother to question him about it, and thus, can't be troubled to go down in the basement to check themselves."

Sandslash turned to Alakazam, wearing an exceedingly triumphant face.

"It worked," Sandslash announced happily.

Mewtwo's surgery for his spinal cord loomed nearer and nearer, filling him with the same dread he experienced so long ago when anticipating the Mega Ring's testing. This time, it felt multiplied by at least three-fold because he couldn't do anything besides lay in bed. Ever since being shot by Giovanni, he couldn't move his legs, no matter how hard he tried. Nurse Joy said the surgery will allow Mewtwo to regain use of his legs, but nobody knew how quickly.

The morning of the appointment arrived. Only one well-wisher resided at Mewtwo's side; Tobuscus remained behind while practically everyone else took an early train to Cerulean University. All the trainers picked back up on the work they already started to repair the suit, Tim simultaneously began a vigorous training regime for Squirtle, and Gengar and Sandslash began drawing up maps of Team Rocket's base with the assistance of Silver, Alder, and Alakazam. Because none would be able to see him all day, they all gave a "good luck" the night before. Mewtwo deeply appreciated this gesture.

"Five minutes…" Mewtwo heard Tobuscus mumble while the latter glanced up at the clock. Tobuscus, sitting on a drawn-up chair and leaning on his knees with hands clasped together, kept Mewtwo company after the others left. Thankfully, Tobuscus fully recovered from his brush with hypothermia; his body had since returned to its fiery red and yellow plumage.

"Thanks for staying behind," Mewtwo said as heart-felt as he could, "You don't know how much it means to me."

"Pleasure," said Tobuscus kindly as he wrung his hands. "It doesn't sit well with me knowing that you're about to go under an operation as important as this. Not knowing would kill me. Bryce wanted to stay as well, but fixing your armor is top priority right now. In fact, there's a lot of stuff that's important right now."

Mewtwo nodded gently, looking into Tobuscus's eyes that were as sharp as his talons. No matter how deceptive these eyes seemed, they didn't hide the concern and care now filtering through. The sight made Mewtwo twitch his lips into a small smile.

"All in due time," breathed Mewtwo.

They waited with bated breath, glancing so often at the clock that Mewtwo felt like his neck had a bad twitch. His thoughts drifted, and suddenly came to rest on Clefable and Pikachu more than fifteen years ago. Two Pokémon waiting… waiting for the unknown… waiting for something to happen… anything to happen…

Simply waiting.

The door knob rotated and permitted entrance to Nurse Joy, carrying a clipboard which obviously held details of Mewtwo's procedure.

"Good morning, gentlemen," Joy said with nearly the same air of quiet gentleness, as if she knew what they had just been talking about. "Mewtwo, your procedure is due to start in approximately three minutes. We'll be moving you to the operating room at this time and putting you under anesthetics. You're likely to not wake up for quite a while because this will be a lengthy procedure. Reviewing your blood samples from both on file and drawn shortly after your admittance to the Pokémon Center, we discovered that your body is extremely adept at healing rapidly. Your recovery shouldn't be nearly as long compared to a human's or another Pokémon's, but we still wish for you to go through the whole rehabilitation process."

Mewtwo nodded solemnly. He always felt like his body could handle injuries quite quickly, and he agreed with Nurse Joy's recommendations. He just wanted to be in shape again when they finally took the battle to Giovanni's front door.

Tobuscus stood up slowly and, glancing at Joy, said, "I'll see you soon, Mewtwo. Good luck, all of you."

He replaced his chair, walked to the door, and left with a wave.

Mewtwo hadn't seen Joy fiddling with one of his IV bags, and only noticed when some cool sensation began flowing through the veins in his arm. He looked up at Joy, who said, "What's your favorite place to be? A vacation spot? Reading in a quiet room? Somewhere else?"

Mewtwo took a second to think, and said, "Probably in the mountains around Ether, especially when the sun's out. It's so beautiful on the trails with the shade trees waving about, hearing the sounds of nature, feeling the wind and sun on your face…"

Joy smiled and said, "Well, you're going to be there in about ten seconds."

And then something very strange happened.

Mewtwo felt his eyes drooping and his strength drain away. He slumped against his pillows, but instead of the sinking into unconsciousness he felt several times before now, he felt like he was _floating_ above the bed and rising into the air. A very strange experience compared to what he was used to.

But before Mewtwo could wrap his mind around this bizarre feeling, he felt nothing, and thought no more.

It took a while for Mewtwo to come about, but he did. Very little light, if any, managed to penetrate through his eyelids, ensuring him that it was night out. Strangely enough, Mewtwo could hear faint whisperings, as if a window permitted a gentle breeze ingress to the room. His head feeling far too groggy to think straight, he waited for himself to settle in a little before making any more observations. Snatches of these whisperings managed to seep through the grog, though, and Mewtwo listened in.

"One hundred percent success, yes sir. Joy told me last night."

"That's excellent, real excellent. Tha' timing though—I just opened th' door and Joy was on 'er way out to tell you. Saw her face when she saw mine, did yeh?"

"Yeah," the familiar voice responded with the unmistakable squawk buried deep in the tone, "I nearly died laughing."

The second visitor chuckled a gravelly laugh, one Mewtwo never heard before but still felt vaguely recognizable. He listened closer.

"Glad to be back, lad, real glad. Thanks for show'n me around town an' everythin' today."

Mewtwo thought that hearing this Pokémon's voice again would be an unlikely occurrence indeed. But alas, here he was at his bedside.

"Been some time since they finished up on him, hasn't it?" asked the Irish native. "Thought he'd be awake by now, eh…?"

"Joy said he'd be coming 'round any time now. Lucky thing, too; I was just about to go to sleep when she finally told us we could visit."

Mewtwo heard the creak of a chair as a heavy body shifted itself slightly.

"I always liked her, y'know?" the brute commented, "Even after I helped destroy the center o' town, she took us in and sent us on th' way in no time. She's so kind."

Tobuscus snorted at the comment.

"She's kind to everyone," he said dismissively, but Mewtwo could tell a smile negated the harshness of the words. "Hard not to be when you run something like a Pokémon Center. You never know what you're going to get. Mewtwo's proven that theory, along with you, Squirtle, myself… even Allen…"

Mewtwo opened his eyes blearily through a thick haze of tiredness.

The room's lights were turned off for Mewtwo's comfort while he slept. Only one or two dim auxiliary lights relieved total black. Mewtwo registered that he was in a new room different from his memory of the various ones he visited around the Center. This one clearly focused on post-surgery patients, though Mewtwo wondered why he hasn't seen this one yet; maybe it was because he spent so much time unconscious a week or two ago that he didn't need to reside here by the time he woke up. Mewtwo turned his head around without lifting it to take in his surroundings more fully.

A window with its curtains drawn had no daylight to spill into the room, for night was upon Ether Valley. Mewtwo was hooked up to all sorts of equipment again, so his movements were limited; not like he was in any fit state to test them, anyway. Shadows of furniture and various other unidentifiable objects loomed out of the velvety darkness the room offered. He blinked slowly, letting his eyes travel around a little more, but quickly forced them shut as an unexpectedly sharp, painful pinch grasped his lower back. He felt a muscle spasm in the same region accompany this strange feeling, which also ran all the way to his feet and involuntarily twitched his whole leg. This happened so quickly that he couldn't control it at all. The whispers by his bedside halted abruptly as their owners' attentions turned to Mewtwo, though the latter couldn't see them yet. A thought completely bypassed Mewtwo in the moment as well; he could move his legs again.

"Did yeh see tha'?" whispered the one in such a deep register that Mewtwo almost didn't hear it.

"Mhmm," returned the other. "You think he's…?"

Mewtwo rolled his head to lay eyes on the two Pokémon sitting side-by-side, peering intently at him. Though Mewtwo expected the sight, one hulking shadow still caught him in mild surprise. Something he wasn't used to, and something he hadn't seen the likes of since his days in the Diamond Squad. The tingle of anxiety trickled through his chest, but he tried to not let that bother him.

"Yes, I'm awake and refreshed," Mewtwo groaned with a hint of cheek.

He took his first good look at the two, now standing out more distinctly from the room's lack of light. Tobuscus on the left looked the same, just with slightly tired eyes; but the brute on the right…? Mewtwo couldn't quite think of why he looked a little different. Nevertheless, relief washed over him upon catching sight of this familiar face again.

"Good to see you back, Nidoking," Mewtwo mumbled.

Nidoking returned with a genuine smile; one that made Mewtwo's heard glow at the sight.

"Good t' be back," he said, delivering a small bow of respect with his head. "Honestly, I never thought I'd get th' call ter come back, y'know? Still, I'm so glad I got it. I always loved this place…"

He looked around the room before adding, "Well, not right here exclusively, but y'know what I mean."

"Must love it a lot to be willing to stay here by my side in the dead of night," said Mewtwo quietly. The pinch—slightly weaker this time—attacked his back again and sent another, less intense spasm through his back muscles. He tried to run a hand over the affected area, but couldn't feel it through the dressings wrapped around his midriff.

Nidoking chuckled through his hoarse vocal cords and said, "Eh, it's not that late… probably eleven or summat like that. Still, it's the least I can do on a long way to repay you, mate. I can' forget what yeh did for me buds—who, by the way, send their best wishes for you 'n the group."

"Appreciate it," said Mewtwo sincerely. "Who rang you up to come back to Ether Valley?"

"Gengar did, actually," said Nidoking. "He caught me jus' before I left Johoto, so when he asked for me help, I couldn't say no. I told me pals, Seviper an' Weezing, what you gents needed 'n they encouraged me t' take on th' challenge by meself. We're all grown Pokémon, but they felt I'd be most useful t' your cause 'cause I'm the oldest and got th' most experience amongst us."

Mewtwo saw a shadow of a smile as Nidoking proudly added, "Fifty years young, I'd like t' think meself. Might not be th' most powerful or book-smart, but Life's taught me a few things: met some incredible people in me travels; made some great friends, an' lost some, too; got to see a lot o' places others can on'y dream of ev'r seein'; and I got teh meet you three… some o' the kindest Pokémon I've ever had th' pleasure to know."

Tobuscus chuckled at the comment, though far from unkindly.

"There's a lot more to this group than us three, my friend," he said. An immensely surprised Nidoking twitched his neck to look at Tobuscus.

"_Really?"_ he asked with an air of astonishment, "I thought it was jus' you three!"

"No, no!" Tobuscus said with a laugh, "There's, like, a dozen or so, right?" He glanced at Mewtwo for confirmation.

"Yes," Mewtwo said with a nod. "It's a little complicated. Do you mind if I explain, Nidoking? A lot has changed since you left."

"Please do," said the addressed invitingly.

Mewtwo adjusted himself to sit up a little straighter and more comfortably. After he ensured this, Mewtwo talked. He talked about every single member of their group, though did some skimming on those Nidoking was already familiar with. Mewtwo left no detail from his memory to the wayside, and did his best to tie in every group member so that Nidoking understood how they all met and related to each other. Mewtwo explained until he couldn't think of anything else important to say.

Nidoking sat with chin in hand, clearly thinking deeply.

"This Sandslash y' mentioned," he started uncertainly, "You say he was one of yer mates in this 'Diamond Squad'?"

"More like a teammate at the time," Mewtwo corrected quietly, "but in essence, yeah. He was one of my mates in the Squad."

"How can yeh… well… _trust_ him?" asked Nidoking. "He spent a load of time around some shady people, y'know?"

Mewtwo's expression hardened slightly to help rebuke the point.

"You weren't there when I woke up after that encounter in the forest. He told me—told us _all—_how much he regretted his time in Team Rocket. Sandslash recognized the false mindset Giovanni forced upon him. He remembered what it actually meant to protect and defend the civilian population, not attack and kill just because his leader told him to do so. It took him eighteen years to realize his wrongs. Eighteen years hardened his character to steel, yet one moment undid his entire understanding of Giovanni and Team Rocket. It was a painful moment that almost killed me, but we got him back to the right side… back to where he belongs. And he's here to stay."

Nidoking looked on, totally stunned by Mewtwo's oration.

"I—I didn't—" he stuttered. "I mean— I didn't kno' that. That's—that's incredible…"

"I know," said Mewtwo sadly. "It makes me wonder what the others could have done if they weren't a part of the Diamond Squad, you know? I mean, I was probably the most hated Pokémon to a lot of people, and I'm sure there's still a good many of them that want to see me six feet under the ground… but I'm trying to right my wrongs, and so is Sandslash. I only hope we all can make our amends in time."

Mewtwo paused and looked away from Nidoking's eyes.

"Time… something that we don't have much of right now…"

"Why's tha'?" asked Nidoking.

Mewtwo briefly explained Giovanni's threat and how they only had until the New Year to execute their plan.

"Bloody hell…" Nidoking breathed in a low growl, "I didn' kno' it was tha' soon, lad…"

Mewtwo nodded darkly.

"We meant to try and collect as many people or Pokémon as possible, but so far, you're the only one we could wrangle up. I mean, I guess most, if not all of us, will put up a good fight, but extra hands are always great to have."

"Listen here, bud," Nidoking said, leaning closer to Mewtwo and raising a hand. "Yer friends are more than capable of handlin' themselves. I mean, just look a' Tobuscus; a level ninety Blaziken—one o' the strongest Pokémon across the pond—an' he's not ev'n age twenty-one! Gengar… well, I still can' believe yeh turned him aroun' like ye did… yet, he's the craftiest, mos' cunning bastard I've ever seen. I can only imagine what he's managed t' get up to since you took 'm under yer wing, Mewtwo. And let me tell yeh this, mate," he added, leaning in ever so slightly more and speaking barely above a whisper, "I'll do _everything_ in me power t' help you, no matter what. If I can help out with anythin', just give a shout. I'll make absolutely sure t' be in top shape when we're ready t' go. I migh' actually train a wee bit with little Squirtle an' Tim, because Lord knows I need t' sharpen me skills again."

Nidoking's serious but enthusiastic words made Mewtwo's heart warm.

"That means so much," said Mewtwo with as much heart as possible. Another spasm hit his back, rather like someone flicked him while he wasn't expecting it. Nidoking noticed and gave a tired smile.

"Aye, I'm glad to be givin' you me best. Though, if yer goin' t' be doin' the same, yeh'll need as much rest as y' can, considering… well…"

"I know," Mewtwo returned softly, running his hand over the spasm once again. "It really does mean the world you're willing to help, though. It'll be enormously handy, I'm sure."

Nidoking gave a courteous nod.

"Here's hoping, lad."

Tobuscus, having sat silent for some time, interjected his own words.

"We'll need all hands on deck once everyone's back here, because Bryce told me they're likely to finish their preparations at the University by the weekend. They've nearly mended your suit from what he told me this morning; plus, all the drawings are ready for proper planning to begin."

"That's fantastic," Mewtwo winced as a new twitch shot up his spine. "This weekend, yeah?"

Tobuscus affirmed.

"Great," Mewtwo said, sliding downwards into the warmth of his bed and feeling the relief of shifting positions. "I'll make sure I'm fit and ready to help. But first, I need to… to…" he finished lamely, trying and failing to stifle a huge yawn. The two others copied Mewtwo's yawn, clearly demonstrating their exhaustion.

"By God, it's late," groaned Nidoking, "I haven't realized th' time…"

"Mmm…" grunted Tobuscus, suddenly out of energy like a deflated balloon, "Midnight… probably later."

"Right then," Nidoking yawned again, standing up with a _creak_ of the chair, "looks like we'll be seeing you tomorrow, mate."

"All right," returned Mewtwo, flexing his extremely stiff legs. "Have a good night."

Nidoking and Tobuscus left the room with a wave apiece. Mewtwo let his head fall into his pillows as he sighted deeply. He hoped everything really would be ready in time for the first of January. A pang of fear, one quite detached from the spasms earlier, raced through his stomach. If their group wasn't fully prepared, the consequences would be worse than devastating.

They would be deadly.


	23. Persona Non Grata

_Strange feeling, this is,_ thought Mewtwo to himself. He stood—one of the first times he could do so without assistance in countless days—around a table in the Pokémon Center's deserted lobby with everyone else. Maps drawn from scratch on enlarged papers, notes upon notes, and pencils and pens were strewn about on the low tables they shoved together to hold everything. Gengar and Sandslash sat close, murmuring and pointing to various areas of the maps and referencing the loose note sheets. They only just recently set up and were gathering their thoughts before starting to plan with the others.

"All right," Sandslash said aloud to the group. "I think we're ready to begin."

"Aye," said Nidoking, who hovered about on the outskirts. "We all are."

"Right," Sandslash continued, "so we'll start here…"

He pointed to the two-dimensional lines on the paper that signified the front entrance.

"We all know that this is the most dangerous place, right?" he asked, looking to everyone crowded around the table either sitting or standing. Everyone nodded. Obviously, Alakazam's transfer of knowledge had encountered no flaws.

"Knowing that the front entrance is so risky, we clearly need another way to infiltrate the base," said Gengar. "There are multiple alternate methods of ingress, including the rooftops and air vents. Some of us smaller Pokémon will be able to fit in these 'nooks and crannies,' Glaceon in particular."

Gengar gave Glaceon a glance. The latter held her head up a little straighter and prouder at her mention. Steph, sitting behind her Pokémon, smiled slightly as well and gave Glaceon's head a rub.

"I think the best way—or, at least, an optimal way—is to let these candidates go first, infiltrating the base undetected and letting the rest of us get in without raising the alarm. Sandslash will be a big part of this. Because technology and electronics play such a huge role in the base, Sandslash will have no issues toying with them to suit our needs. After that, it'll only be a matter of time until we can get right to the root of the evil."

"Why Sandslash?" asked Tobuscus curiously from beside Nidoking.

"He's a hacker," Mewtwo responded before Sandslash could even begin to open his mouth. "He always has been."

"Exactly," said Gengar, pointing a pencil in his hand to Tobuscus. "He'll be able to get us in with no problem at the right time."

Tobuscus nodded thoughtfully as Sandslash watched on, looking bemused at how the others were so quick to describe him.

"So," Gengar continued, "that's the brains taken care of. Or—well, I won't say _all_ of the brains…"

He glanced to Alakazam and Alder, adding, "You two will be a valuable asset during the battle, so we'll be needing everything you got."

The addressed nodded in unison, understanding their role. Gengar lifted a corner of his mouth, conveying his approval.

"Now for the brawn…"

Everyone knew to whom Gengar referred. Nidoking and Tobuscus, though already looking at Gengar, lifted their chins up a touch in pride. Tobuscus, taller by more than a foot, clapped Nidoking around the shoulder. The latter looked up and, with a smile, gave a single incline of his head. Tobuscus returned the grin with one of his own.

"Yes, the brawn," Sandslash picked up. "You two, along with the rest of us Pokémon and trainers, will be using the normal entrances once we get them opened up. And then—"

"We unleash hell," interrupted Mewtwo, feeling the fire kindle in his heart at the thought.

"Well, yes—but I would have put it more mildly," conceded Sandslash. "We're not going to stoop to Giovanni's level by destroying everything in our path. Some of them there have nothing to do with us right now. The ones that _do_ have something to do with us will likely be grunts and their Pokémon that will sooner or later figure out what we're up to. The closer we get to Giovanni, the tougher the fight. It's likely that we'll see a familiar face or two once we dip into his inner circle. He'll send his best squads out to stop us: Malachai; Tungsten; and even Diamond."

A stillness held everyone's breath at bay.

"_Malachai?"_ Bryce asked suspiciously. "And Tungsten? Who all is in there?"

"Nobody too terrible," responded Sandslash. "Probably the toughest Pokémon from those two is one of Giovanni's old favorites."

"Who is…?"

"A Beedrill. Vicious thing, if I ever saw one, and a temper to match."

"A Bug Pokémon as one of the best fighters…" mumbled Bryce, scratching his chin. "Hmm… Sounds like a job for Nidoking, right? I mean, resistant to its Bug type has to be a slant in your favor."

Sandslash glanced at Nidoking, checking for his reaction.

"Tha'll be no problem at all," said Nidoking confidently. "I know I used t' have trouble with Bug Pokémon a _long_ time ago, but I've worked out th' kinks since then. Leave it t' me, lad."

"Sorted that out quick enough," said Gengar, scratching down a note on a loose sheet of paper. "Is there anyone else that may be a problem, Sandslash?"

"Not that I can think of, other than Diamond Squad," said Sandslash. "And speaking of, I want everyone to know that it'll be a rubbish decision to take on any one of them by yourself. They're called 'the best' for a reason. Giovanni scrounged the globe for six Pokémon, so you better believe they're more than capable of extinguishing your life in a heartbeat. Give them just one centimeter of space, and you'll pay dearly."

More silence succeeded this little speech. Mewtwo glanced around at the others, noticing some strange behaviors: Bryce chewed on his tongue like it was a piece of gum; Tobuscus's teeth clenched so that it looked like he had lockjaw; Nidoking held his hands behind his back, fidgeting with his massive tail; Alakazam's face was stony; and Squirtle looked like he was about to be sent to the gallows.

"We want you guys to be ready for the fight," said Gengar gently. "Just be cautious and aware of your surroundings, use your head, and don't do anything stupid. Okay?"

Most of them nodded mutely.

"I'm not trying to scare any of you," he reiterated. "We want you to be safe and smart when we do this."

Gengar sighed, apparently feeling the gravity of their plans on his own shoulders. Mewtwo actually saw his shoulders slouch, as if the very same weight had just fallen there.

"Hey," Mewtwo said, drawing gazes, "I want to thank everyone here for being so willing to help out. God knows what would happen if we weren't in this together…"

Sandslash nodded, glancing around to see Mewtwo.

"Hit the nail on the head there, you did," he rumbled. "Teamwork and chemistry, guys… teamwork and chemistry. That's what makes the dream work."

"Or in this case," Tobuscus said, his jaw finally unclenched, "it's what stops a madman."

"Yeah," Sandslash said under his breath. "That too…"

Nobody said anything for a time. Mewtwo turned over everything he heard so far in his head. They were in this together; not necessarily because they wanted to, but because they had to. It was the only way to make sure everyone stayed alive.

"How's my suit coming along?" Mewtwo asked, trying to change the subject.

Tim seemed to have pulled himself out a reverie; he shook his head gently, looked up, then realized Mewtwo asked a question.

"Fine, fine," he said distractedly. "We moved it back from the University last night. It's operational again, so… yeah. We made some tweaks to the software and updated the firmware from the data it gathered thus far. We replaced the circuitry with more rugged materials so that it will resist heat and physical abuse much better than before. It's all packed away behind Nurse Joy's front desk; we asked her if she minded that we keep some—ah, 'mail' there."

"Clever," Mewtwo commented with a smirk. "And, if you don't mind me asking, what ever became of the Mega Ring? I haven't heard about that in a while."

"It's right here, actually," Allen said. He slipped a hand into his pocket and withdrew the ring in question, holding it up to the light where its gray color reflected the lobby's artificial light. "We tested it extensively while you recovered, Mewtwo, and learned a whole lot more about it. In fact, we discovered that Tobuscus here is compatible with the Ring, and can Mega Evolve."

Tobuscus lowered his gaze, smiling at the ground.

"That'll come in handy," Mewtwo said. "If you're Mega-Evolved, I doubt there's anything that will slow you down."

Tobuscus smiled even more embarrassedly while absently scratching the back of his head.

"Thank you, Mewtwo," he said. "Your confidence means a lot to me."

Mewtwo gave a tiny bow with his head.

"I have a question," piped up Squirtle, sitting on a chair stacked with books and silent thus far. "What will I be able to do? Tim and I did a lot of training together, and I don't want it to go to waste."

Mewtwo felt like something ruptured in his heart. He looked into Squirtle's wide, brave eyes that refused to be downtrodden. Squirtle proved before now that he's not any average Pokémon, yet his age still cast shadows of doubt, no matter how hard Mewtwo tried to tell himself otherwise. He just didn't want to see Squirtle hurt more than he has already—a feeling reinforced by the sight of the crack's scar on his underside. Yet, the scar proved another point entirely. Squirtle walked through hell and came out alive… he nearly died doing it because he didn't have a choice, but he lived.

Mewtwo sighed, feeling exceedingly conflicted by these thoughts.

"Tell you what, Squirtle," he said quietly, "What if—"

Whatever Mewtwo's suggestion was going to be, however, they never got to hear it.

The familiar sound of a helicopter's beating rotors crept up on them, enough to silence Mewtwo mid-sentence and force him to look up through the lobby's expansive glass ceiling. He saw nothing but the cloudless sky, its brightness fading away with the setting sun.

"What the…?" he muttered, searching the sky.

"You heard that too?" asked Sandslash, clearly worried and likewise staring upward to comb the empty sea of darkening blue.

Mewtwo's and Gengar's gazes darted toward each other. Gengar's face was clouded with fear, and Mewtwo knew his own looked no better. The rapid _thwap thwap thwap_ of the rotors grew closer, and Mewtwo could now pick out at least a half-dozen more of these rotating blades. Gengar stood up so quickly and sidestepped the group surrounding it so nimbly that he was halfway around the table before his chair fell with a loud _thud_ on the tile floor. Mewtwo jumped into step beside Gengar like his feet were electrified, and both dashed to the front windows before anyone, including Sandslash, knew what had happened.

_Please don't tell me,_ Mewtwo pleaded with himself. He pressed his forehead to the glass and cupped his hands around his eyes to block out the reflections of the lobby behind him. _Dear God, don't let it be—_

And there, set against the sinking sun, was the confirmation of his worst nightmares.

An entourage of helicopters—totaling no less than nine or ten of all different sizes—glided through the air in a formation, bearing down upon Ether Valley. Though still a third of a mile away, Mewtwo could see the occupants; some human, some Pokémon not so much, and others larger than life. The mix of grunts and their Pokémon sitting in the helicopters, ready to deploy, made Mewtwo feel like his insides had vanished.

Still standing dumbfounded at the windows and staring at the welcoming party, Mewtwo tried to size up these opponents from afar. He couldn't see much, but it seemed like the ratio of grunts to Pokémon was about one to one… Figuring in the number of passengers these helicopters carried, Mewtwo estimated that at least fifty people were flying towards them right now—

Something that caught Mewtwo's eye interrupted his thoughts. In the lead helicopter, sitting in the co-pilot's seat, was somebody out of uniform. Mewtwo couldn't figure out why until the sun's glint dissipated from the vehicle's smooth black body work. The ice white suit betrayed the man who wore it from a mile away.

"Oh my God…" Mewtwo whispered in a voice he couldn't recognize as his own. "They're here. I don't know how, but they're here…"

"What did you say?" asked Silver concernedly, but she needn't have asked, given the terrible look of fear on Mewtwo's face.

"Your father…" Mewtwo gasped in the same petrified voice. "He's—he's here… in the Valley… and they're right on our doorstep!"

Everyone mirrored the insane fear Mewtwo felt. Their lives—all of their lives—were in mortal danger. They had to do something.

"That's impossible!" Silver wailed, hands clasped and crossed over her heart. "We still have more than a week of time! It's not even Christmas yet!"

Mewtwo ignored Silver's cries, trying to clear his own brain from the wicked fog that had clouted it.

They had to do something right now.

"There's no time!" Mewtwo shouted so that nobody missed a word. "We need to get ready to fight for our lives! Protect the Valley from Team Rocket!"

"But—_how?"_ Sandslash asked.

"I don't care _how_ you do it, _just as long as you do it!"_ Mewtwo fumed, looking dead into his former squadmate's eyes. Mewtwo sensed some of his skills as a Captain of the most feared combat squad in Japan seep through from the past. "Split up into groups: Sandslash, take Tim and Squirtle with you," he said commandingly, pointing at the various people and Pokémon he mentioned as he moved closer to them, "Gengar, lead Steph, Silver, and Glaceon; Alakazam and Alder, you two are going to stick together, all right? Tobuscus and Bryce, you'll be doing the same thing, but keep Sandslash's group within your reach. Allen, you and Nidoking are with me."

Wide-eyes of surprise flashed all around, but nobody dared question him. Mewtwo found himself breathing heavier than normal and felt his heart pound against his ribcage.

"Trainers, look at me! This is very important; you will be eyes and ears for the Pokémon with you. Help them spot threats, and they'll do the rest. Understand?"

Mute nods responded.

"And one last thing..." Mewtwo said brusquely. "Nobody… and I mean _nobody…_ will fight alone. If you want to live, don't be an idiot."

His message rang clearly within the lobby. Everybody understood what was being asked of them. There was no backing down now, not with Team Rocket turning their plan on its head—or, more accurately, throwing it completely out the window.

"Now go! All of you!" Mewtwo barked. "Protect the Valley in any way you can!"

A flurry of movement greeted the end of his speech. Almost everyone got past him, heading urgently towards the door. However, Mewtwo still needed to take care of some things.

First, he stopped Squirtle by picking him up in the air and giving him a hug that contained all of his deepest emotion. Squirtle returned, grasping Mewtwo around the neck and holding on as if his life depended on it.

"Make your parents proud," Mewtwo whispered in Squirtle's ear, "and make me proud, too. You can do it. I know you can."

Squirtle said no words. He didn't need to.

Mewtwo set him on his feet again, caught sight of Bryce about to follow the rest of the group out the doors, and barked, "Bryce! Stay there."

Bryce froze, turning his head concernedly so he could look over his shoulder. Mewtwo walked over to Allen and held out his hand, mumbling, "Give me the Mega Ring."

Allen obeyed without question. Mewtwo turned around to face Bryce again and lobbed the Ring several yards to where the latter stood. Bryce caught it, eyes wide as he turned the gunmetal gray ring in his hands and apparently unsure of how he could be trusted like this.

"Use it wisely," Mewtwo said firmly. "We only have one."

Bryce nodded frightfully but forcefully. He threw his shoulder into the door beside him, disappearing down the street with Squirtle to catch up to the others.

Mewtwo turned to Nidoking and Allen right near him, both of whom were clearly trying to still wrap their head around the current events.

"Damn…" Allen said softly. "You're a natural at leading people like that…"

"When it's do or die like this," Mewtwo said a bit harshly, "you let your teammates know exactly what they're doing. Act first and ask questions later."

Mewtwo moved swiftly around Nurse Joy's counter, collecting both large boxes marked as parcels for shipment in disguise and brought them to the tables holding their now useless plans.

"Quick, help me with my armor so we can get out there."

They rapidly unpacked the contents, laying each component of carbon fiber armor out on the table. Mewtwo donned the helmet and booted the CPU, ignoring its textual requests to connect all other components. He, Allen, and Nidoking strapped on the armor as fast as they could (the last trying to learn as they went along). They were halfway through when none other than Nurse Joy herself hurried out from the back halls, stopping short of the group with a look of utmost shock and surprise at Mewtwo's transforming figure.

Mewtwo turned and, lifting up the chin of his helmet like a welder, said "Ether Valley is under attack. Get Officer Jenny to raise the alarm and send reinforcements for the trainers and Pokémon I've already sent out there. There's over fifty grunts and _their_ Pokémon laying siege to the Valley—"

"There's _WHAT?"_ Joy gasped disbelievingly. "What—how do you even _know_—"

"They're after me," Mewtwo said calmly, yet he still felt his heart sink as he said it aloud. "They'll kill anyone they can that gets in their way. They won't stop until they find me."

Joy's eyes grew watery with emotion, but Mewtwo ignored this.

"Listen to me. _Go to Officer Jenny._ You're only wasting time—"

The Pokémon Center's doors banged open, and in burst the subject of their conversation to draw all eyes.

"What the _hell_ is going on out there, Mewtwo?" Jenny exploded, marching furiously to him. "_There's people roping from helicopters,_ for God's sake!"

"Officer Jenny, shut up for a second," Mewtwo spat, causing her to stop dead in her tracks. "Listen; get as many trainers and Pokémon together as you can to provide support for those from our group already out there. There's too many of them that are coming from the helicopters for our guys to handle all at once. Anyone you can get will help, because this is an emergency. They won't stop until they find me."

Jenny's mouth fell open in disbelief.

"They're— they're here for _you?"_ she breathed.

"_Yes,"_ Mewtwo groaned, his patience wearing thin as the tail guard wrapped its carbon fiber ribs around his tail, fully encasing it to finalize Mewtwo's preparation. "The more time you waste by dawdling, the more likely it'll happen."

As if Jenny received an electric shock to get her moving, she sprang into action by darting out of the Pokémon Center again and dashing off to the police station.

"Right," Mewtwo breathed a little heavily, "that's got her sorted out." He turned around and added, "Joy, I need as many healing supplies as you can get. We'll need them out there."

She didn't question his command. From behind the counter, she pulled out bottles upon bottles of various potions, restores, and heals. Mewtwo stuffed them into a backpack that Allen had brought along and handed to him to use. Once the backpack was quite full and somewhat organized to Mewtwo's liking, he zipped it up and returned it to Allen with the instructions to assist anyone that needed anything from the bag.

"Thank you, Joy," Mewtwo said. "I owe you one."

Nurse Joy shook her head and said, "No, Mewtwo, _we_ owe you one. Thank you for protecting the Valley."

He was about to say, "You're welcome," but the words got caught in his throat when his brain processed what he heard. Joy wasn't angry that Mewtwo attracted Team Rocket to this quiet town like a magnet. She wasn't upset that Mewtwo just asked her to clean out the Center's supplies. She didn't even second guess Mewtwo's decision to enter the fray himself, risking his life to protect everyone else's the best he could.

Telling followers what to do is the mark of a superior.

Joining followers is the mark of a true leader.

All Mewtwo could do was nod in response and, tilting the helmet down back over his face, bid Allen and Nidoking to follow him out the doors with a sweep of his hand.

"Watch your other side!" Sandslash bellowed as he grappled with someone on the ground that cried for release. A Raticate came darting up from between two buildings, watched on by a man that hid in the alley's shadows. Squirtle turned just in time to whip a vicious lick of water across the attacker's face and send the Raticate skidding face-first across the pavement. Tim was stanced back a ways, eyes ever watchful for anyone that could sneak up on them.

"There you go, Squirtle!" Tim called out. "Make sure he stays down!"

"Stays down?" Squirtle repeated, his voice quivering slightly.

"Yes—" Sandslash grunted, throwing punches at his captive, "Put his—arse—in the ground—and finish the job!"

"Use _Aqua Tail!"_ Tim shouted. "Do it just like I taught you!"

Squirtle gulped and turned around again to face the struggling Raticate. Running out of time, he built up a casing of spiraling water to surround his tail and dashed up to his target, turning around and almost cartwheeling to meet the Raticate. His tail bashed right into the back of Raticate's skull, making him collapse unconscious on the ground.

"Bloody brilliant!" cheered Sandslash. He straightened up off of the person he held down with his body and, with an unprecedented display of strength, picked the man off of the ground and tossed him to lay next to the unconscious Raticate. Neither stirred.

"Fantastic!" said Tim. "Keep up the good work, the both of you!"

Sandslash, temporarily out of breath, doubled over to regain it. In the lull that followed, during which the man in the building's shadows retreated out of fear, an uproar of noise arose from several streets over. it sounded like a shouting match broke out; the jumbled yet distinctly furious screams carried over the rooftops to their ears. They listened for some amount of time.

"D'you think we should go?" asked Squirtle, glancing concernedly towards the racket of yells and shouts.

Sandslash was about to refute the suggestion—most likely to tell them to hold their ground and defend this end of the village—when an enormous ball of fire mushroomed into the sky, accompanied by a terrifying, bird-like screech and a heart-jolting tremor of the ground. The fire was so bright that it cast a dull orange glow on their faces and surroundings.

"_Woah…"_ Tim breathed. "I've never seen _anything_ like that…"

"In that case," said Sandslash, looking frightfully at the smoky cloud, "let's go. They might need our help."

Tobuscus turned the streets with Bryce at his side, pounding through the unfamiliar roads as fast as possible. Trainer and Pokémon matched each other's lengthy strides, pacing a vast distance in no time at all to meet the Valley's threat head-on. Sandslash's group was two blocks over and within reach—just like Mewtwo instructed. They could already hear shouts issuing from that vicinity, including what sounded like one of Squirtle's moves called out by Tim.

"Think they have it under control?" asked Bryce.

"Sandslash is with them," Tobuscus said dismissively. "If either Squirtle or Tim get in trouble, he'll bail them out."

"Yeah," said Bryce, apparently trying to reassure himself more than anything, "Sandslash knows what they're up against; he'll take care of them…"

They squeezed through a back alley and reemerged on the High Street, facing the fleet of helicopters to their south. The sight of these ten airborne flying machines, coupled with countless attackers advancing up the opposite end of the street, stopped them dead in their tracks on the other side of the town square. The sight sent a bolt of fear through Tobuscus's body. Bryce drew in breath, staring transfixed at the horde, and Tobuscus knew a similar sensation struck his trainer.

"Tobuscus," Bryce said shakily, "if everything's gonna hit the fan, tell me."

The addressed turned curiously, eyes still rounded from the sight of the attackers.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Bryce didn't answer; rather, he fidgeted with something in his one hand, twirling and rotating it around and around. Tobuscus's gaze slid down to the object. He recognized it as the Mega Ring and he gasped.

"Is that—? How did you—?"

"You're one of the strongest, most skilled Pokémon in the United States. Maybe even one of the best in the world," said Bryce. "Nobody said you couldn't get better with a little help."

The sight of his trainer holding the powerful Mega Ring in his hands, coupled with the words he just spoke, sparked a new fire inside Tobuscus. He clenched his talon-like hands and flexed his arm, feeling the sinews tense with anticipation. An unexplainable surge of energy overtook his body just at the mere sight of the Mega Ring, and he sensed an awesome power stream through his nerves… like he could take on the world.

"Stay back," he warned. Tobuscus drew himself up to his full and impressive height and marched closer to the horde. He only stopped after he sidled a little bit to see around the fountain in the square's center and could see the attackers entering from the opposite side.

"HEY!" Tobuscus roared so loudly that his voice echoed off of the building's walls. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING HERE?"

"Like we'd tell you!" shouted an unfamiliar Pokémon in return, but the group nonetheless stopped advancing. "Piss off if you know what's good!"

"Same to you!" Tobuscus shot back, feeling a heat rise in his neck. "Just turn around now if you want to go home in one piece! There's _no chance_ you punks are getting through us!"

"You and what army?" called back the same Pokémon from amongst the throng. He pushed through the crowd, shoving them aside to get to the front. A honey yellow Beedrill, the very same one Sandslash warned them about, burst through, his blood red eyes flashing dangerously in the dying sunlight. "I'd hate to see some skimpy excuse of a chicken and his pinheaded trainer get flattened for no reason. Go back to your coop, little Blaziken; you won't be doing anyone any favors trying to fight us. Whoever evolved you from a Torchic must have been touched in the head to think you could ever fight."

Tobuscus told Beedrill to do something that was quite physically impossible, and generated an unpleasant image in the mind of everyone present.

"Language, little Blaziken," said Beedrill, apparently calmed by the insult rather than riled up by it. "If you're really set on staying, I'll teach you some manners before you die. That way, it won't be completely pointless."

Tobuscus hadn't noticed that almost all of the helicopters landed outside of the village, rendering shouting at the top of his lungs quite useless. But he kept on it, fueled by anger and adrenaline pumping through his veins.

"Then why don't you fight me!" he screamed, beating his chest with a fist. "Face me like a man!"

Beedrill obliged. Before he moved, he called out the commands, "Tungsten, break right in threes! My squad, left in pairs! Dover, sweep center!"

They dispersed, but Tobuscus had eyes only for the insect Pokémon on the other end of the square. Beedrill rolled his neck and flexed his arms and knees, showing off his steel-like drills refined to a point. His wings started up, beating so fast they were nothing more than a blur. He launched in the air, bearing slightly off-center to Tobuscus. The latter primed his stance, ready to beat the crap out of the bug hovering high above him. He raised his fists, both of his eagle eyes trained on Beedrill and tracking his movements.

Beedrill dove hard and fast like a yellow missile, but Tobuscus noticed that he wasn't aiming as expected. The attacker cut behind Tobuscus, catching him off-guard. He sprang into action, but was too late to intervene; Beedrill swiped at Bryce's face, catching the trainer's raised arms instead and slicing a thick, red cut through his shirt sleeves before being walloped by Tobuscus's swinging roundhouse kick.

The damage was done. Bryce stumbled backwards and cried out in pain, now a heap on the ground and cradling his bleeding arms. He curled up tighter in obvious agony, forgetting his surroundings and simply trying to deal with Beedrill's most recent attack. He moaned aloud as Tobuscus whipped around to face Beedrill hovering in the air, dazed by the latest blow. The Blaziken, before now reserving himself just enough to stay in control, completely lost his cool.

"COWARD!" Tobuscus screeched, accompanied with a spit of fire from his mouth and curling smoke from his nostrils. His yellow eyes now burned orange and his body began to radiate a ferocious heat. Only his trainer didn't recoil from the intense temperature. "WHAT DID _HE_ HAVE TO DO WITH THIS?!"

Tobuscus gathered a ball of white-hot fire in both hands and, with the grace and fury of a martial artist, lashed out a jet of fire like a flamethrower at Beedrill. The bug barely escaped, but the heat proved to be too much. He fell to the earth, panting on the tarmac like a Growlithe on a hot summer's day and trying to recover his energy.

Tobuscus took this moment to turn around and check on Bryce. He eased his injured trainer out of the ball he had curled into and supported him up to sit. His arms dripped blood, but something else joined the red seeping out of the cuts. A sickly purple, glutinous fluid leaked through, splattering his clothes as it fell. The cut had turned blue, and when Tobuscus peeled back Bryce's long sleeves, he saw that the affected area was slowly turning purple. The color creeped at a snail's pace, changing his skin to the same purple hue as the fluid. A sweat broke out on Bryce's forehead and his pupils contracted to the size of pinpricks.

"P—P—P—" he stammered, unable to sound out what he knew full well coursed through his body. "T—T—Tobuscus…"

"No…" Tobuscus breathed. Fear that felt like snakes writhed in his stomach. "No… Bryce… Don't—just hold on—"

Bryce's breathing was already growing heavy.

"My pocket…" he gasped, glancing down to his right side. Tobuscus jammed his hand in the pocket and dug around briefly before his hand closed on a large, smooth, bracelet-like object. He yanked it out to gaze at the Mega Ring, its Stone shimmering bright red. Bryce grabbed hold and let it fall onto his thin wrist, where it snapped to fit.

"Ten minutes…" he breathed, struggling to string his words together. "Ten—all I have… Get help—as soon—you can… Please…"

Bryce suddenly grasped Tobuscus's hand with a vice-like grip; a display of strength the latter had never seen before. He stared straight into Tobuscus's eyes—still glittering a dim orange—and choked out one last sentence from his lips glistening with sweat:

"Don't—let—kill—the others…"

Tobuscus shook his head as a lone tear welled up in his eye. It trickled down his scaly nose and quivered on the very end of his beak. He placed his other hand between Bryce's shoulder blades and gently lowered his trainer to lay flat on the ground. There wasn't anything more to do for him now except get help.

"Hey! Get back to fighting, won't you?" called out the Beedrill, now recovered from being temporarily winded and standing upright again. "Are you done there with your boyfriend or what?"

If Tobuscus was angry before, it didn't even compare to what he felt now. Full-blown rage exploded in his chest like dynamite. He relinquished Bryce's hand and straightened himself at a deliberately slow pace. His limbs shook like mad from his unfiltered anger. He turned delicately on the spot, feeling the furor build in his head and blind his common sense. A bright yellow-orange aura flared up around his body, accompanied by a loud hiss and a massive quantity of smoke billowing from his nostrils with each breath. His eyes no longer burned orange. They had progressed past the brightest, most dazzling of whites. Tobuscus's mania of rage turned his eyes sky blue.

The heat pulsing from Tobuscus's body was no longer intense; it was downright deadly. The grass around the square dried and burned; the water in the fountain evaporated faster than anyone thought possible; the tarmac and concrete sidewalks twisted and warped; windowpanes melted; and Team Rocket's attackers rapidly began to withdrawal, throwing up their arms to try and shield against the barrage of heat radiating from Tobuscus at nearly three thousand degrees Fahrenheit. But at this point, only Bryce was safe from the Blaziken's insanely strong hate now burning with the intensity of thermite.

"You—will—pay—" Tobuscus managed to spit out. An incessant whistling, exactly like a teapot left on a burner, issued from deep within his vocal cords. His eyebrows had wrought themselves so that his eyes, glowing hotter than white, were barely visible. He looked damned scary—worse than a trainer's most nightmarishly terrifying opponent.

"Oh, no…" Beedrill gasped, clearly aware of his mistake in provoking Tobuscus. "Fall back on me! I repeat, fall—"

His words were cut short by an awe-inspiring sight; so awe-inspiring, in fact, that everyone in Beedrill's group stood mesmerized to watch the white silhouette across the square.

Tobuscus was Mega-Evolving.

Tobuscus didn't notice his trainer's final action before falling unconscious, which became clear when he felt his legs seize and the sensation of a hundred knives being driven everywhere into his body. Bryce had touched a finger to the Mega Stone, enough to fulfill his and Mewtwo's desires of making Tobuscus the most powerful Pokémon in the world.

He crouched and doubled over in pain, knowing precisely what was happening. Coupled with his temper, the burning that followed the stabbing sensation seemed multiplied twenty-fold. It legitimately felt like he was on fire.

For the second time in his life, Tobuscus sensed his body morph out of its old, familiar form and into a new one. The long, flowing feathers from his head shortened and turned upwards, now looking like wings. The two thin, spike-like features from his beak joined together and shifted to his forehead. The new streamlined horn seemed like a tiny hood ornament from an old-fashioned automobile. Softer down from the side of his torso grew and stiffened into feathers, appearing rather symmetrical to that already on his head and forming something that resembled a disjointed letter X. From his beak, Tobuscus felt the jagged, scaly growths already there below his cheeks elongate by several inches. They grew below his mouth line and past the bottom of his jaw. Long, thin tongues of flame adorned his wrists like ribbons, waving lazily as if in slow motion.

Muscles throughout his body, already well-toned from so much conditioning and training, grew and bulged within his body. He noticed this occurrence in his arms more than his legs. No longer did his arms look skinny; his biceps and forearms strained against their holdings fit to burst. All of these muscles felt like they had been crammed with a thousand hours' weightlifting in a mere ten seconds. The energy in them felt explosive, like he could unleash the deadliest punch or kick at any given time.

That time to unleash was now.

Tobuscus's evolution ceased. Still crouched on the ground and all furor bottled up, his limbs shook again from pure rage and the ground vibrated underneath his feet. A savage desire to attack and kill washed through his brain. Any moment now, he'll be able to rain fire and brimstone on these bastards from Team Rocket and make them wish they were never born. He'll show them what it meant to be truly loyal to a cause, not loyal to a paycheck.

The Mega Evolution's chains holding him at bay broke. The blinding white light that cloaked his figure burst, forcing the onlookers to turn away. Tobuscus leapt upright with vastly improved speed and agility in no time at all. From deep within his lungs, he belted out an ear-splitting screech to the heavens. An enormous cloud of fire shot from his mouth, rising sixty, eighty, one hundred feet into the air. The lazy ribbons of flames on his wrists intensified, burning like wildfire. The ground shook in the square like an earthquake. Through a shimmering haze of incredible heat and untameable fury, Tobuscus's upgraded eyes—still lit as blue as the sky—spotted his targets resuming their escape from the deteriorating square. He wasn't going to let them get away.

Not that easily.


End file.
